Burned
by coyotehale
Summary: Aaliyah Black was sent to live with her aunt and cousins when her mother was killed in a car crash. When she goes back 17 years later to meet her crippled father and stranger siblings, what will she find?
1. Last Day

Chapter One

I heard the thud of the base from the music pounding from my radio. I heard our hearts slamming together against our ribcages, heard his heavy breathing through his nose. I felt his lips moving on mine, his hands sliding up and down my body. I smelled his lovely natural scent, a musky, dewy scent of the forrest I had longed for for so long.

I sat up in my bed with a jolt, gasping for breath. _Damn it, that dream... _I quickly wiped the sweat off my forhead and went into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was tall-ish, black mysterious eyes and curly black hair that fell to my hips. My skin was an exotic russet colour and I had a perfect hourglass figure, my curves in all the right places.

I sighed. I didn't know that much about myself. My name was Aaliyah Black, I was seventeen, I was a Quileute. My mother had died in a car crash and I was sent to live with my aunt Lily because my father was crippled and had three other children to care for. I didn't even know my siblings' names.

I sighed again to my reflection, then stripped off my clothes and got into the shower, then started the slow process of washing my long hair. I never complained about it to Lily, because she would cut my hair. I love my hair, and I kick the sucker in the nose that tries to mess with my hair.

I washed all the hair products out before stepping out and blow drying my hair before I dryed off my body and got changed into a grey shirt and dark blue skinny jeans, splotched with black oil from fixing cars. It was a hobby of mine.

I walked downstairs as I tied up my hair in a high pony-tail and plonked myself down at the table with Lily's kids; Jackson, Micheal and Travis. I snorted at how they wolfed down their food. We looked sort of alike, because they had dark hair and tanned skin, but it wasn't as exotic as my skin and their hair wasn't anywhere close to as dark as mine. Plus, their eyes were blue and green, whereas mine were pitch black. They weren't full Quileute, like I was.

"Morning, Aaliyah!" They all chorused around mouthfulls of food.

"Ugh, dudes," I covered my eyes. "That would of been sweet if you hadn't shown me your breakfast in the first stage of digestion!"

They just laughed then continued eating. I grabbed a plate and a knife and fork, then helped myself to some eggs and bacon.

"Morning, Aaliyah," Lily walked in and stod beside me, then kissed the top of my head. "How is it this morning?"

"Perfect as always, Aunt Lily!" I grinned up at her. She chuckled and ruffled my hair slightly, then suddenly hurried into the kitchen when I narrowed my eyes, which made me laugh as I rightened my hair. I would never lay a hand on my Aunt Lily, but she had seen me teach her sons a lesson when they 'trimmed' my hair while I was sleeping one night.

Lily sat down and filled her own plate, then we started chatting and laughing, just like we did every morning. I got up and cleared the plates when they finished and the boys ran up to their room - they shared one - their footsteps sounding like a thousand horses stampeeding through the house. I shook my head as I rinsed the plates, then walked back to my room and slipped on some socks and hightops before jogging out the door.

I hopped into the back of the Jeep with Jackson. We were both seventeen, where as Micheal and Travis were eighteen year old twins, so they always got to drive, but I always got to decide about the radio, because the guys did have a _slightly _good side.

We pulled up in the parking lot of our highschool and I slung my shoulder bag on, tossing the curls away, that had blown into my face from the wind with a flick of my head.

I waved to my cousins as I walked over to the old ute on the other side of the busy parking lot. The dark blue paint was chipping off the poor old rusting vehicle. My friend Maggie got out of the car, her red hair flying everywhere in the breeze and hugged me.

"Hey, Alli!" She grinned. I rolled my eyes at her stupid nickname. Was it so hard to say Aaliyah?

"Hey, Maggs!" I sounded way overly cheerful, just like her and she rolled her emerald green eyes at me.

"You don't need to be so sarcastic all the time." She told me, slinging her bag onto her shoulder and started walking towards the school. I walked beside her and shrugged.

"Yeah, I do, it's just who I am," I grinned. She just rolled her eyes again. "You know your going to miss all my smart ass comments when I'm gone!" I sang.

Maggie's bottom lip trembled. "I'd forgotten your going back to La Push..." She whispered.

"Awwwwwww!" I groaned, then hugged her tight. "Don't cry Maggs!"

I was going back to La Push for the rest of the year to live with my proper family. I hadn't really met my siblings, since I was taken away when I was only a few months old to live with Lilly, who had been pregnant with Jackson at the time.

"But your my b-best friend!" She cried.

"I swear to God if you ruin my shirt with those salty tears I will make your own tongue slap your brain out!"

Maggie chuckled a little, pulling back and wiping her red eyes. "I will miss you so much, Aali... Things won't be the same here without you..."

"Are you sure thats a bad thing?" I laughed, and, after a moment, so did Maggie.


	2. Jacob, Quil And Tickling

Chapter Two

I awoke to a stewerdess shaking me. I blinked, startled, then got up and thanked her before walking down the aisle of the plane, fixing my hair as I went, and went out into the airport.

I grabbed my bag as it passed me on the belt and walked towards the exit. I stopped when I saw a guy holding up a cardboard sign that had my name written is scrawled writing, then I noticed his face. Russet skin, black hair and dark, mysterious eyes. A huge sunny smile broke across his face and it was so contagious that a grin broke out on my face. I don't know why I did it, but I ran as fast as I could through the crowd of people to him, dropped my suitcase and jumped up threw my arms around his neck, my legs wrapping around his waist.

I heard something drop to the ground as he stumbled back and wrapped his arms around my waist, crushing me to his chest.

"Hey..." He mumbled, burying his face in my hair. "You must be my sister, Aaliyah."

"Hey," I grinned wider. "You must be my brother, Jacob."

Jacob laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I am, I'm Jacob Black," He gently placed me on the ground, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

I laughed too, but shook his hand anyway. "I'm Aaliyah Black, awesomely epic to meet you too!"

Jacob chuckled. "Here, let me take that for you."

"Careful, it's..." I trailed off as he lifted my heavy suitcase with ease. "...Heavy..." I whispered, my eyes widening.

Jacob chuckled and wrapped his free arm around my shoulders. "Come on, Aali! Lets go see our Dad!" He chuckled and started walking us towards the exit again.

"Why does everyone keep calling me Aali?" I grumbled, irritated, before the main point of his sentence came back to me. I blinked in surprise. "Our D-dad?" I stuttered, looking up at him, my eyes widening again.

He blinked too, confused. "Don't you want to see him?" He pushed open the door and I flinched as cold air instantly hit me in the face as well as big fat drops of rain.

We hurried through the busy parking lot to a big red car but I didn't know what type it was. It looked like a Volkswagon. Jacob chuckled as he unlocked the passenger side door for me. "This is the Rabbit." He told me as I climbed in quickly and he shut the door behind me before hurrying over to the driver's side and getting in, slamming the door behind him to keep on the biting cold and the rain.

I rubbed my arms for warmth. "I'm gonna have to get an umbrella, huh?" I laughed quietly.

Jacob's contagious laugh filled the car as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Yes, most definately."

"Great," I rubbed my arms faster. Jacob noticed and wrapped his arm around me and warmth immediately ran through my body. I blinked at him in surprise. "Your way too warm... Are you alright?"

Jacob only grinned and squeezed me gently. "What can I say, I'm hot."

I laughed and shook my head. "You crazy thing. We're definately related."

Jacob chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest and I leaned my head onto his chest, listening to the husky sound.

"So, tell me about your friends, because they're either going to become my friends or my enemies." I said after a period of long but comfertable silence.

Jacob laughed a deep husky laugh again and I smiled as it echoed in my ear.

"Well, theres Sam, Jared, Paul, Seth, Leah, Embry, Quil, Brady, Collin, and then theres the new guys Romeo, Will, Chris, Josh, Alan and Clyde."

"Whoa... Mr. Popular..." I murmured, getting tired, lulled by Jacob's husky voice rumbling against my ear, plus his heat. Jacob chuckled and I closed my eyes, smiling softly at the sound.

"Not really..." Jacob was obviously grinning, but I could hear slight embarresment in his voice. I was too tired to care or tease him.

"I'm just gonna sleep a little..." I yawned. Jacob continued chuckling and squeezed me gently.

"Sweet dreams..." He murmured before conciousness took over me.

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room with unfamiliar dark red walls and a white framed window.

I stood up and walked over to the wall, where there were a bunch of photos on the wall. I smiled as I saw lots of Jacob when he was y0unger, most with other guys, and about ten of him and some pale, brunette girl. In one of them, the look Jacob gave her was obviously love, but the girl was a whole different story. She was smiling, but it was forced, and there was nothing but undying pain in her pretty brown eyes.

I had always been good at reading people, their emotions and things like that, but that picture was unbelievably easy to read.

"I wonder what her name is..." I whispered almost inaudibly.

"Aaliyah?" Jacob's voice sounded close, like he was on the other side of the door. I jumped and looked over my shoulder at the door.

"Yeah?" I called back, sounding a little guilty.

"Can I come in?" Jacob was obviously hesitant. I giggled.

"Yes, Jacob." I laughed and the door slowly opened as Jacob peeked in cautiously before sighing in relief and walking over to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and smiled as he looked at the pictures of him and the mystery girl.

"Her name is Bella. She was Bella Swan before she got married and now she's Bella Cullen." Jacob told me, touching the Bella-picture's face, near her brown eyes. From the love I had seen on his face, I would of thought he'd of sounded more remorsefull.

"How long ago was that one taken...?" I whispered.

"About two years ago... Her husband, Edward, had left... She was really depressed about it..." He murmured. Well, that made sense.

"She does look rather sad... I feel bad for her..." I breathed.

Jacob squeezed my shoulders. "She's happy now... She has a big family now..."

"You loved her." I stated.

"Yeah," Jacob sounded a little shocked that I knew so certainly. "But I love someone else now..."

"Poor girl..." I mumbled, grinning. Jacob laughed.

"Thats it!" He picked me up by the waist, flung me onto the bed, lifted my shirt up to expose my stomach, and started tickling me madly. I screamed as I laughed and struggled to get away from his warm fingers as they danced across my sensitive skin, but his other hand had me pinned down.

"Jacob!" I squealed, frantic now. My stomach ached, my cheeks stung and my lungs burned already.

"Jacob...?" A deep voice called hesitantly. "Do I want to know whats going on in here...?"

Jacob laughed, releasing me and I gasped for air. "I'm not having sex, Quil!"

"Then what are you doing in there?" Quil sounded amused, his voice louder as he walked towards the room. The guy that walked in was tall and muscled, just like Jacob, with cropped black hair and dark brown eyes, not as dark as mine and Jacob's.

"Just tickle torturing my sister." He smirked.

I sat up and held a hand out to Quil, my other on my aching stomach. "Hey, I'm Aaliyah."

Quil grabbed my hand, but instead of shaking it like I expected, he yanked me off the bed and got me in a bone crushing hug.

"I'm Quil!" He laughed. I gasped, struggling again.

"Can't... B-breathe...!" I chocked out. Quil laughed and placed me down, but I stumbled backwards and Jacob caught me, laughing too. I coughed and gasped as Jacob helped me stand upright.

"Well, you've met Quil..." Jacob laughed. "Ready to meet Dad and the rest of the gang?"

I tilted my head back and groaned. "Great..."


	3. Meeting New People

Chapter Three.

Jacob and Quil left the room, laughing loudly and shoving eachother as they did, and I chuckled, shutting the door behind them. I went to my suitcase and put on a pair of light blue jeans, ripped at the knee and a green long sleeved shirt. I brushed my hair, but on some lip gloss and mascara, then walked hesitantly down the hall, not really having a clue where I was going since no one decided to show or tell me.

Well, all I had to do was follow the sound of rowdy teenage laughter!

I stepped into a small lounge room which seemed even smaller with all the huge Quileute's crowding it. As soon as I stepped into sight, pairs of dark eyes swivelled to me and I blushed, looking at my feet. The small couch groaned as a hefting body got off it and a pair of feet walked over to me, a overly warm arm wrapping around my shoulder.

"Guys," Jacob was obviously grinning and a small embarressed smile appeared on my glossed lips. "This is my sister, Aaliyah!"

"Hey!" A bunch of voices replied and I finally looked up, scanning everyone.

"So, introduce yourselves!" Jacob laughed.

"I'm Sam." The oldest looking guy smiled in an amused voice.

"I'm Jared." Another one grinned.

"And I'm Embry!" The last one smirked.

"Hey, all!" I waved awkwardly, then looked at Jacob. "Weres the rest of your fan club?" I grinned.

Jacob blushed. "Don't call them that infront of them, they'll kill me..." He mumbled, embarressed. I looked at Sam, Jared and Embry, raising a brow.

"They're at Emily's, Sam's fiancee," Jared smiled, then bit his lip. "But Leah and Paul are with the new guys..."

"Oh yeah..." Embry leaned back, his dark eyes flicking to me then to Jacob. "Should we go to Emily's, with Aaliyah?" He asked.

Jacob grinned and nodded. "Yeah, she can meet Seth and Emily and Kim!"

"Guys, I am still here you know...?" I raised a brow and they all blushed except Sam, who just laughed. "And what about Dad...?" I said the word awkwardly. I hadn't really ever said it before at it sounded wrong on my tongue.

"He's over at Sue's..." Sam murmured and the guys' faces sadened.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Sue - Leah and Seth's mother - had a husband, Harry, and he died of a heart attack last year... She's got Charlie, Billy, her kids and us... but she's really depressed..." Embry mumbled.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Poor Sue..." I whispered.

Jacob squeezed my shoulders. "Come on, lets go see Emily."

I sat between Quil and Embry in the back seat of the Rabbit, Sam in the front with Jacob. I was crying, but because I was laughing so hard. These guys were too funny.

"S-stop!" I laughed, clutching my stomach. "I-I'm gonna d-d-die!" I laughed and the guys all laughed too. Well, the only one that wasn't laughing was Jacob.

The guys were telling me about Jacob's funny childhood moments.

Rachel had payed him ten bucks when she was eleven and Jacob was eight to go up to Billy and ask him where babies come from.

Jacob had found a condom once out on his nature strip and blew it up like a balloon.

Jacob had been running across Third Beach when he was three and had seen a crab, screamed like a little girl and ran away.

After that, I couldn't really focus on what they were saying, I was focusing too hard on not dieing of lack of breath from laughing so hard.

"We're here." Jacob snapped suddenly as he stood on the brake harshly and got out, slamming the door. I bit my lip to stop my giggles as I unbuckled my seat belt and got out, shutting the door silently behind me and following the whooping boys into the house.

They all just entered, not bothering to knock, but I was more hesitant. It felt wrong to just walk into some strangers house unannounced.

"It's alright, Aaliyah!" Sam called. "You can come in!"

Well, he _was _Emily's finacee... Oh well...

I slowly opened the fly screen door, glad it didn't squeak and slipped inside. Almost immediatly, russet coloured thin arms wrapped around me and squeezed me tightly. I squeaked in surprise, my eyes widening.

"I'm Emily!" A beautiful voice laughed and the surprisingly strong arms released me. I stumbled back, leaning against the fly screen for support. Infront of me stood a tall woman with Quileute russet skin, straight black hair just past her shoulders and a short fringe just above her eyebrows, her eyes dark brown. Red scars which had long since healed run up her right arm, her shoulder, her neck and down her face, one side of her lips pulled down in a perminent grimace.

"Your beautiful." I stated, sounding surprised. The unscarred side of her face lit up.

"Thank you!" She beamed. "Say, would you like to help me cook for those pigs over there?" She gestured with her thumb to the guys lounging on the many huge sofas, laughing loudly. Jacob had a huge scowl on his face, his face flushed with embarresment. They must of still been teasing him.

I don't know where Emily had gotten it, but she was suddenly thwacking all of them but Jacob on the back of the head with a wooden spoon. "Leave him alone or no food for you!"

I snickered when their jaws dropped and eyes widened. Not a single noice escaped them and Jacob gave a husky chuckle. Emily smiled and nodded, satisfied, before dragging me into her kitchen. She handed me some vegetables to chop and a long sharp knife.

I sliced the vegetables neatly and quickly. I was used to cutting vegetables from Lily. Cooking time was bonding time for us and she couldn't cut worth crap.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with your uh... Scars...?" I murmured after a while of silence. Whatever noise was emmiting from the lounge cut off into deadly silence.

Emily shrugged it off. "I was attacked by a bear."

I gasped, placing a hand over my mouth that had opened in shock. "Holy fudge..."

Emily looked up at me and a small smile pulled up the untouched side of her lips. "It's fine."

"Yeah but... Whoa..." I whispered, then realized I was staring and reddened, looking down at the perfectly diced vegetables.

Emily giggled. "It's alright to be shocked, Aaliyah, I get it."

I didn't know how to answer that so I just nodded.

After we had lunch at Emily's and went home, Jacob and I were lounging around. By that, I mean he was laying on the loveseat and I was laying ontop of him, my ear against his chest as I listened to his heart beating while he watched the television.

"Jacob Black," I suddenly growled. "I will make sure you can never have children if you don't stop bloody twitching."

I opened my eyes and glared up at Jacob as he blushed. "I was just thinking that maybe we could go visit the Cullen's?"

"Sure," I shrugged as Jacob's face light up. "I get to meet Bella and you get to go drool over her husband's sister."

Jacob snorted and got up, throwing me over his shoulder. This was his new way of transporting me. I apparently walked too slow. Well, it wasn't my fault my legs weren't as freakishly long as his!

Jacob placed me in the passenger seat and I buckled my seat belt as he flew to the driver's seat and, without putting on his seat belt, sped backwards down the driveway and squealed out onto the road, speeding towards where-ever we were going.

"So, what is Renesmee like?" I asked, trying to fill the silence. A wide grin spread across Jacob's face.

"She's beautiful... She has an awesome body, curly bronze hair to her elbows and chocolate brown eyes..."

"Like Bella's?" I asked, confused. Jacob blinked and swerved slightly before righting the car.

"No, not really, no." He said hurridly. My brow furrowed as my feminine intuition flickered. There was definately something going on there...

The rest of the car ride was silent and I read a sign when it passed us.

_Welcome To Forks_

"Forks? Like the eating utensil?" I snickered. Jacob chuckled.

"No, like the cereal, Aaliyah." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

I flicked his nose. "No need to be such a bitch boy." I told him. He raised a brow, chuckling.

"Bitch boy?"

"Are you deaf?" Thats what I ju-..." I trailed off when a beautiful house came into view. The white walls stood out against the green back ground and music drifted from it. Jacob parked and leapt out, running over to my side. I only had just enough time to unbuckle myself before Jacob ripped me out and carried me over his shoulder to the porch where he placed me down and knocked once.

The door was almost immediately answered by a pale man. His face was amazingly beautiful, his eyes golden, just a few shades darker than his hair.

"Hello, Jacob," He smiled kindly at Jacob, his voice like beautiful music to my ears. His intelligent gold eyes turned to me and his smile widened. "And this must be your sister..."

"Hey, I'm Aaliyah Black." I held out my hand.

"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen." He shook my hand and I fought back a shiver. His skin was cold as ice, a sharp contrast to Jacob's radiating heat that I was used to by this point.

"Whoa, your a bit chilly." I announced, surprised, when he released my hand and shoved it in my jean pockets for warmth. Jacob chuckled with Carlisle.

"Sorry," Carlisle smiled comfertingly at me before his strangely coloured eyes flickered to Jacob. "Renesmee is upstairs with Rosalie." He told her. He nodded and grinned at me before slipping around Carlisle and jogging upstairs. It reminded me of the way Micheal, Jackson and Travis ran to get ready for school.

"So," Carlisle's voice snapped me out of my reverie. "Would you like to come in?" He stepped aside for me.

"Yes, thank you." I smiled and walked inside. Carlisle shut the door softly behind me. I followed obediently as he led me down the hallway to a spacious lounge room. A pale blonde stringy teen guy was in a match of chess with a burly guy, dark curly hair on his head using twelve boards. A small pixie girl was sitting at a computer, designing clothes with a touch screen. In the attatched kitchen, seperated by the bench was a pale lady with caramel coloured hair, mixing something in a bowl quickly.

Carlisle cleared his throat and they all looked up. I blinked, surprised. They all had the exact same golden coloured eyes.

"Cullen's, this is Aaliyah Black, Jacob's twin sister. Aaliyah, this is my wife Esme and adopted children Alice, Jasper and Emmett. We have also adopted Edward and Rosalie, but Edward is with Bella at their house and Rosalie is upstairs with our newest adopted child, Renesmee."

"Cool," I nodded, a small smile playing on my lips. "Thats nice of you, you know, take care of those kids."

"We try." Carlisle grinned and I giggled.

We all turned to look when I heard Jacob's large footsteps, heard his husky laughter and an unfamiliar laugh. It was a high pitched peal of bells, chiming beautifully in my ears. I wanted to record it and listen to it over and over again.

A kid that looked about the age of fourteen flew into the room, bronze curls to her waist, pale skin like everyone else but flushed cheeks, and brown eyes just like Bella's. But these weren't dead and in agony like her's were, but full of love and happiness.

I furrowed my brows in confusion and slight shock. Jacob was in love with a fourteen year old...?

Renesmee stopped running when she saw me and Jacob skidded to a halt before he ran smack into her. He raised a brow worridly at her.

"Whats wrong, Ness?" He asked.

"Who's that?" She whispered, looking straight at me.

"Oh," Jacob smiled. "Nessie, this is my sister Aaliyah. Aaliyah, this is Renesmee."

Renesmee walked over to me and held out her hand. "I'm Renesmee but you can call me Nessie or Ness."

"I'm Aaliyah. It's nice to meet you, Renesmee."

Renesmee beamed at me, then looked at Carlisle. "When will they get back?"

"Bella and Edward will be here in a few minutes, Nessie... Oh look, here they are now!" He pointed behind me. I turned around and saw that the whole wall was made of glass. Through it, I could see a pale woman and man walking towards the house. The man had the same bronze hair as Renesmee and the same golden eyes as everyone else. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb with my dark hair, eyes and skin, my normal looks, compared to all these pale, beautiful people.

The couple walked in and Renesmee flew over to them, hugging the woman tight. They both laughed and I smiled. They looked like a perfect family.

The bronze haired one - Edward - looked up at me, his pale lips curling up into a crooked smile and he walked over to me, then held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen." His voice was soft and velvety. I blinked, stunned for a moment, before I shook his hand, resisting the urge to shiver.

"I'm Aaliyah Black... I'm Jacob's sister..." I whispered and I heard quiet laughter.

"Nice to meet you." Edward smiled, releasing my hand. I nodded, my cheeks reddening against my russet skin.

"You too..." I mumbled.

_Well, _I thought. _Things can't get more embarresing than this, can it?_


	4. Swapmeet

Chapter Four

After the usual awkwardness there always is when you meet new people, things got fun. We watched Jasper and Emmett play twelve board chess, then watched some television before Alice and Rosalie decided to give me a makeover.

They effortlessly dragged me into Alice's room no matter how hard I struggled and heard laughter from the others as I was sat down on a chair. I didn't bother fighting anymore as they wiped off whatever make up I already had on my face and started fresh.

I closed my eyes and moved my lips whenever the girls asked me too. They did my eyes, lips, cheeks, eyelids, even did a bit of work on my nails before they dragged me into Alice's huge wardrobe.

I gasped at all the amazing clothes. Dresses, shirts, jeans were hanging neatly in racks, the four walls overflowing with every kind of shoe.

"Holy cheese and crackers..." I breathed. Apparently the girls heard me and giggled, then stopped dragging me and started scanning around for something for me to wear while I just stood there awkwardly, rocking back and forth on my heels.

Rosalie and Alice finally came over to me, handed me a dress and some heels, then ordered me to change. I blinked in surprise and opened my mouth to protest, but they were already shutting the doors to the closet.

I sighed, then took off my ripped jeans, converse and long sleeved green shirt before pulling on the dress and the heels. I folded up my clothes and held them in my hand, then walked out.

The girls started squealing and clapping.

"You look absolutely, without a doubt, epically stunning!" Alice was bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Thanks..." I murmured, blushing and looked down at my feet.

"Come on!" Rosalie placed my clothes on the poofy bed, then both girls started dragging me downstairs. I didn't bother to struggle, just staggered along behind them.

When we reached the lounge room, golden, brown and black eyes swiveled to me, then all widened. There was collective silence and I chewed on my lip, blushing dark red, looking down at my feet.

"You can say I look horrible if you want to..." I mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear.

There was longer silence, then all at once everyone started gushing at how unbelievably amazing I looked and I even got a hug from Esme and Jacob.

"So, when can I change back?" I asked, looking at Alice.

"Never." Alice grinned and everyone laughed.

* * *

><p>I heard a knock on the door when I was channel surfing the next day. Jacob was off at 'work' and Billy was at Sue's again, so I was just chilling in my tank top and shorts.<p>

I sauntered over to the door and opened it to see a totally hot Quileute guy. His black hair was cropped short and his eyes were almost as dark as mine, but not quite. He smirked at me.

"You must be my future sister-in-law," He held out his hand. "I'm Paul, Rachel's finacee."

"Whoa..." I blinked, shocked, then reached out and shook his hand. "Hey Paul, yeah, I'm Aaliyah... And you obviously want to come in..." I laughed nervously and stepped out of the way so Paul and his huge hulking frame could get inside. He sat down on the loveseat and I perched on the arm on the other side since there was no way I would be able to fit beside him.

"So... Whats up?" I asked, looking away from the crappy old television to Paul. He chuckled at my lame excuse at starting a conversation.

"Well, I was over at Emily's place with Rachel, and then Emily told me that you were new around here so she wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go to the Sunday Swapmeet with her tommorrow and, you know, socialize..." He trailed off awkwardly. I pursed my lips as I thought about it.

"Yeah," I decided, nodding. "That sounds like fun..."

"Okay then..." Paul pulled himself off the poor loveseat which groaned as he moved off. "I'll go tell Emily..."

"Nice to meet you, Paul." I smiled at him and he gave me a breif hug.

"See ya, little sister." He smirked before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"So much junk..." Emily grumbled as we continued unpacking. The sun hadn't even risen yet and my breath was making clouds off my lips in the biting air.<p>

"Your telling me..." There was vases, pots, pans, gardening tools, sports equpiment, clothes, everything. It was like they were selling the entire contents of their house. "How much crap do you have?" I looked over at her, raising a brow. She chuckled.

"Just a house full... It took me weeks to convince Sam to sell all his sports crap that he loves but hasn't used in years..." She said as she dropped a cardboard box labelled 'Sam's sport equip'

"This is going to take a while..." We both groaned at the same time, then looked at eachother and laughed.

* * *

><p>By the time we finished setting up, people were already walking around, looking for other people's crap to buy. Lot's of people stopped over at our stall and said hi to Emily, introducing themselves to me, most of them bought something, then they left so the next round of people could come and the process would repeat.<p>

"Aaliyah, I need to go for a bathroom break. Can you handle yourself for a few minutes?" Emily asked, standing up from her lawn chair.

"Yeah, I guess..." I shrugged. She smiled at me, then walked off.

I sighed and just sat there on the grass for a while before a guy came over to me, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at all the junk.

"Hey, how much is that football?" He asked, finally looking up at me.

As soon as our eyes met, it was like fireworks going off in my heart. Every attatchment I had to any other person in the world cut off and tied together in an iron wire that connected me to this guy. His dark brown eyes widened as they stared deep into mine.

I saw his hand twitch in my direction and tingles ran through my body. He wanted to be closer to me, and that was all I needed to know. I couldn't speak, my lips seemed to be stuck together, my eyes unblinking as I stared at him.

My heart thundered in my chest and my palms started to sweat. Why was some strange teenage guy doing this to my mind, to my body? And why was I loving it so damn much?

"Uh..." I finally managed a sound to pass my lips. "$2.50..."

The guy blinked, breaking out of his reverie as I did. He stuck a hand into his short's pocket and walked closer to me. I trembled slightly and so did he, as if he were fighting back the urge to fling himself at me. He handed me the correct amount of money, and when his fingertip brushed mine, warmth pooled in my stomach and electricity zapped through my veins.

The guy turned around and walked away, picking up the football. It felt like someone had injected ice water into my veins when he moved away from me, like my world was crashing down around me. I resisted the urge to fling myself at him, hold him tight and never let him go.

He turned his head back to look at me. "I'm Jaxon by the way. Jaxon Walkman."

Then he was gone, before I could give him my name in return. I almost curled up into a ball and started crying, but I couldn't because Emily walked up to me. Her eyes light up when she saw the vacant space where the football had been.

"Thank God that is gone..." She said, mostly to herself, then sat down again. I wordlessly handed Emily the money that Jaxon had given me.

Jaxon. Just thinking the name sent electricity crackling through my veins once again. Was I in love? I knew the answer to that.

Hell yes.


	5. Kisses

Chapter Five

When I got home, I felt like a shell of myself. Incomplete. I missed Jaxon with every fiber of my being. My heart beat sounded like it was calling for him, my bones aching to run to him.

I cried out and fell on my butt, my hand going to my cheek. I looked up with wide eyes at Jacob, who had his eyebrow raised at me, obviously hiding a laugh.

"You were just standing there for like five minutes. It was really creepy." He chuckled.

I glared at him and stood up, rubbing my cheek. "Thanks." I snapped, then turned and walked towards my room.

"Aw, come on Aaliyah, don't be like that!" Jacob whined, walking after me. Jacob, Jaxon... The names were similar... God, I was obsessed! I was comparing Jaxon to my brother.

Jacob spun me around and pinned me to the wall. "Are you okay, Aaliyah?" He asked, worry shining on his face. It was nice to know that he finally figured it out. It would of been nicer if he had figured it out before he resorted to slapping me.

"No..." I whispered, shocked at how miserable I sounded.

"What...?" He suddenly locked up as he stared into my eyes, then started shaking. "Who did this, Aaliyah?"

I blinked in surprise. Did Jacob know about what was happening. "How do you know?" I breathed.

"Tell me who did this!" Jacob snarled, gripping my arms tightly. I winced in pain.

"Did what?" I cried, tears welling up in my eyes. Funny, when Jacob was holding me this tight, staring at me with such anger and protectivness, all I could think about was Jaxon. "Jacob, your hurting me!" I screamed.

I heard a bang, the front door slamming against the wall as it was flung open and a fist suddenly connected with Jacob's face, sending him flying off me. Sam quickly picked me up in his warm arms and handed me to someone else.

"It's okay, Aaliyah, he won't hurt you anymore..." A voice soothed me. It wasn't Jaxon's voice, it was a different voice. I think it was Quil's... I didn't really care, as long as it wasn't Jaxon.

"SOMEONE FUCKING IMPRINTED ON HER!" I heard Jacob shout at the top of his lungs and I whimpered, burying my face in Quil's chest.

"Jacob, calm down!" Sam ordered in a loud, commanding voice. I could almost feel the power radiating off him. I didn't know why Quil was still standing there, torturing me, but he wouldn't move.

"Quil, get her out of here." I heard Sam say, and Quil didn't waste any time, running out of there like a bat out of hell.

I couldn't hold onto concious thought anymore, and passed out.

I woke up in a big poofy bed, the covers tucked carefully and perfectly around me like Aunt Lily used to do for me when I was six. I slowly sat up and looked around.

A knock sounded and the door slowly creaked open, revealing Emily's scarred face.

"Hey, Aaliyah..." She whispered, walking over and sitting beside me on the bed. I released a shaky breath and Emily instantly held me in her arms, soothing me as I cried.

I don't know how long we sat there before Emily released me. We shared a long, meaningful look before I managed words.

"What is imprinting?"

Emily was unsurprised by my question. I think she had been waiting for it. "Nothing..." She sighed.

"It wouldn't have been nothing if Jacob hadn't been shouting it at Sam..." I whispered, flinching at the memory. Emily rubbed my shoulder soothingly.

"Don't worry honey... It's nothing you need to be concerned with now..." Her tone was comferting but slightly commanding, telling me she wouldn't answer anything and I shouldn't ask.

I showered, then got dressed in the clothes Emily supplied me with, a casual shirt and tracky pants. She gave me a hairbrush to tame my tangled and knotted curls before taking me down the hall to the kitchen.

I looked down again when all eyes darted to me. I didn't feel that embarressed any more, like last time. I felt hurt, lonely and confused. I didn't know what was going on around here and I just wanted someone to hug me and explain what the fuck was happening.

I sat down silently beside Quil and he took my hand under the table, giving it a quick and comferting squeeze before releasing it. I looked up at him and offered the tiniest smile before looking back down at my plate.

I watched as the guys ate, only eating an egg on toast myself. Each guy at about ten eggs, twenty five pieces of toast and don't even get me started how much bacon. I was like my last breakfast in Florida, except the guys ate about five times more than Jackson, Micheal and Travis.

Jackson, Jaxon... Huh... Thats a freakish coincidense... And there I go, thinking about Jaxon again...

I heard the door open and a loud voice boom. "I HOPE THERE'S SOME FOOD LEFT FOR ME!"

I locked up, my eyes widening as my heart started racing in my chest and my breathing sped. It was him. I would know that voice anywhere. Jaxon.

I got up, knocking my chair to the ground, and bolted out the back door into the trees.

"Aaliyah!" I heard everyone yell, but Jaxon's voice stand out most of all. But I didn't stop, my heart pounding in my chest, my bare feet stinging with the coldness of the early morning.

"Aaliyah, wait!" Jaxon's voice yelled. He sounded close, but I didn't care, just kept running. "Come on, wait, hear me out!"

Warm arms wrapped around my waist, yanking me to a stop. For a moment we were both frozen as electric shocks shot through our bodies, then I started struggling again. This stranger had turned my brother again.

"Let me go!" I screamed. Jaxon immediately complied, releasing me, and I spun around to glared at him. "What the hell is going on around here? All I did was look at you and now everyone has this huge secret and Jacob hates me!"

Jaxon flinched. "Aaliyah..." He seemed to be only able to say my name, which only made it worse.

"Plus, you just walked away from me at the stupid swapmeet, or weren't you feeling the same way I was?" I cried.

"How... How did you feel...?" Jaxon mumbled.

"It doesn't matter now..." I snapped. "You obviously don't feel the same way!"

Jaxon's eyes widened, hurt swimming in them along with a few tears.

"Of course, I do, Aaliyah..." He whispered.

"You have a fucked up way of showing it..." I crossed my arms. Jaxon smiled but he was obviously less than amused.

"I know I do, Aaliyah, but just listen to me, okay?" He stepped closer to me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. It was actually really comferting. I nodded. "I was scared and confused... I didn't understand what was happening, it was all so fast as so strong..." He took my hands in his and we both gave tiny smiles at the familiar elecricity jolting through us. "But I understand what it is that has happened now, and I want to make it right... Will you give me a chance...?"

I let out a shaky breath. This was it. I could refuse him so he could feel the suffering I did, but that would result in me not getting him. I could accept him and be the happiest I had ever felt, which would leave him open for revenge when he least expects it.

I slowly nodded, ending Jaxon's torture. He whooped loudly and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I giggled and Jaxon pulled back to stare at me.

Then, without my knowledge of how in the world it happened, Jaxon's lips were crushing against mine. My eyes widened as the elecricity I had thought before was strong intesivied till it was almost painful but completely blissful and warmth pooled in my stomach.

Jaxon yanked back, his eyes wide with surprise too. The electricity and the warmth dissapeared with his lips. "I-I'm so s-s-sorry!" He gushed. "I don't kn-now what c-came o-o-over me..."

I stared at Jaxon for a long moment, not speaking, before I pulled his lips back to mine and kissed him gently. His arms automatically wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer as my fingers knotted into his hair.

We stood there in the chilly morning air for God knows how long in eachother's arms and kissing, our breathing heavy out of out noses.

When we finally pulled apart, both our lips were kiss-swollen. I stared into Jaxon's eyes, still locked in his warm embraced, and he stared right back into my eyes.

_Yup, _I thought. _I'm definately in love..._


	6. Bad Dreams

Chapter Six

After going back to Emily's and finishing breakfast, Jaxon drove me back to the house. It felt wierd thinking of it as my house, or Dad's house or even Jacob's house. It was just the house.

We didn't touch as we walked up to the door, but I wanted to. I wanted to kiss him again, feel his hair between my fingers again. I felt weak at the knees just thinking about it.

"Aaliyah?" Jaxon's husky voice brought me out of my daze and I blinked before I smiled up at him. I hadn't realized we were already at the front door of the house.

"Thanks for driving me..." I whispered. Jaxon nodded and I leaned in to give him a quick kiss before hurrying inside before anything else could happen. I felt horrible as I shut the door. I wanted to invite Jaxon in, but I wanted to make things better with Jake, and that wouldn't work if I was making out with Jaxon the whole time.

I walked in the living room and froze. Jacob was sitting on the couch, his eyes red and puffy from crying and glaring half-heartedly at me.

"Oh Jake..." I whispered and ran to him, throwing myself at him and wrapping my arms around his neck, my legs locking around his waist. His warm arms wrapped around my waist and crushed me to his chest.

"I'm so sorry Aali..." He sobbed into my shoulder.

"Ssh, shh, shh..." I whispered, stroaking his short hair soothingly. "I don't blame you, Jake..."

"I just don't want you to leave me for J-Jaxon..." He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I only just got you..."

"I'll never leave you Jacob..." I murmured. "I just need to figure out how to balance things... But I'll never leave you. _Ever_." I stated firmly.

Jacob nodded. I knew he wasn't convinced, but I loved him too much to leave him, just as he loved me too much to let me go. We were too alike.

* * *

><p>"Aaliyah!" I felt someone shaking me as I screamed. "Aaliyah, please, <em>WAKE UP<em>!"

I sat bolt upright in the bed, sweating, my hair plastered to my forhead, my eyes wide and my draw dropped with shock as tears poured down my face. I slowly looked to the person kneeling on the bed beside me. It took me a moment to realize it was Jacob.

"J-Jacob...?" I whispered and winced. My throat ached with its use, my voice cracking.

"You were screaming..." Jacob murmured, moving the hair from my face. "What were you dreaming about...?"

"I c-cant... talk... about it..." I croaked. "Too... H-horrible..."

"Aaliyah, I seriously think that something is wrong..." Jacob's voice was soft, his black eyes worried. "I need to take you to Carlisle..."

"O-okay..." I didn't want to fight it, and I knew something was wrong with my dream. It was too real... It felt more like a vision than a mere piece of random imagination my brain made up in my subconcious.

Jacob helped me stand, since I was feeling really weak, and I had a shower and got changed into a pair of trackies, a tank top and a hoodie, not bothering with shoes or makeup. Jacob then proceeded to carry me to the Rabbit, strap me into the passenger seat, then pull out of the drive with a squeal and speed for the Cullen's.

I leaned my head against the window and I gazed around the truck. My eyes widened when I saw the time on the car's clock radio.

"Jacob.. It's four am... They would all be asleep..." I croaked.

"Carlisle will just be getting home, it's okay." Jacob said easily, not looking away from the road.

"But he'll be tired!" I protested. I was getting better at this whole talking thing.

"Aaliyah, it's fine, okay?" Jacob released a hand from the stearing wheel and tangled his fingers with mine. "Carlisle will be more than happy to help you."

"Okay..." I mumbled, not happy, and looked back out at the window just as big at drops of rain started pounding against the glass. I sighed, wanting to sleep more than anything else in the world but I was too scared that I would have the dream slash vision thing again.

* * *

><p>It didn't take us long to get to the Cullen's place and Carlisle opened the door as we pulled up, his face scrunched up with confusion. His eyes widened when he saw me, my face pale, my eyes bloodshot, my lips pulled down and my body still shaking slightly from shock.<p>

We were quickly ushered inside and I was sat down on the couch as Carlisle went upstairs to get something. Alice, Emmett and Renesmee came downstairs moments after Carlisle dissapeared and Renesmee flung herself into Jacob's arms, touching his jaw with her petite porcelaine hands as she looked at me worridley. Emmett and Alice hovered worridley around me, looking like they wanted to hug me but were afraid to touch me. I felt so fragile I could shatter at the slightest touch, and I'm sure they felt the same way.

Carlisle came back and sat beside me. He gave me a cough losenge for my sore throat and we all just sat there in silence as I sucked on the losenge and slowly calmed down. When I finished it, Carlisle cleared his throat and I looked up at him.

"So, what is this whole thing about?" He asked softly.

"I had a dream..." I whispered. My voice was completely clear now.

"What about?" Carlisle murmured. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a sob. Jacob, who had been sitting on a chair with Renesmee in his lap, put her down on the chair and went over to me, sitting in the vacant spot beside me and wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm.

"It's okay, Aaliyah..." He whispered and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I need Jaxon..." I whimpered. Jacob nodded and Emmett replaced him as he walked outside to call Jaxon.

It was only about five minutes before Jaxon burst through the door. His nose wrinkled slightly as if he smelt something bad and walked quickly over to me. Emmett released his cool arms from around me and I was almost immediately being pulled in by Jaxon's warm ones.

"Hey..." I mumbled into Jaxon's chest as he sat me on his lap.

"What's going on, Aaliyah?" Jaxon murmured, stroaking my hair soothingly.

"I had a dream... It was horrible..." I sobbed.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm here, it's alright..." He soothed. "Can you tell me what happened in the dream?"

I sniffled and nodded. "There was this man... H-he was standing in the street... It was raining, and he l-l-looked like he was waiting for someone... He waited for a while, and then he started walking away... But then this other guy came out..." I swallowed. "And pushed him into this alley... and then these other guys came out and they jumped on the first guy, biting him and ripping at him with their nails like they were a bunch on animals..." I clutched Jaxon tighter. "They killed him... I watched him die, watched those people suck his blood like vampires and when there was no blood left, then ripped the flesh of his bones and left him there... It was so discusting..." I broke down into hysterical sobs into Jaxon's chest before I passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

><p>I woke up in my room again. I blinked up at the ceiling, confused, then looked at the window, where the sun was shining high in the sky. Huh... That meant that it was afternoon...<p>

I got up, noticing I was still in the tank top and trackies, and padded down the hall into the lounge room. Jared, Embry, Quil, Sam, Jaxon and Jacob were all there, cramped together with a whole lot of other guys that looked like them. I just stood there, listening to them as they talked, before both Jaxon and Jacob's eyes flickered up to me. I didn't have the life left in me to blush at being caught, or at the sad, pitying and horrified looks I recieved at my appearance.

I knew what I looked like, having caught a glance of myself in a mirror. My hair was tangled and knotted, my face pale, my eyes bloodshot and dead. I was an exhausted mess, and I honestly couldn't care less.

I silently walked through the room into the kitchen and grabbed some cereal, pouring it into a bowl before adding milk and putting everything else away and walking out after grabbing a spoon.

No one spoke as I walked through the room again and I walked back down the hall into my room, sitting in the middle of the bed, my legs crossed and I munched on my cereal.

"'Just like a chocolate milkshake, only crunchy' my ass..." I grumbled and I chewed.

A chuckle from the door made me look up and I saw Jaxon leaning against the wall, watching me. My heart automatially sped at the sight of him, but I was otherwise unresponsive to his arrival.

When he noticed I wasn't going to greet him or anything, he walked forwards and sat beside me on the bed. I chewed on my cereal and when I couldn't eat anymore, I handed it to Jaxon. He didn't even bother spooning out the rest of the cereal, just lifted it up and tilted his head back, drinking it all in a few gulps.

"Pig..." I grumbled under my breath, flopping backwards onto the matress, my feet dangling off the end of the bed. Jaxon coppied me, but he could touch the ground with his feet easily. "Freakishly tall pig..."

Jaxon rolled is eyes. "What-evah!" He said, trying and failing to sound like a girl.

I looked away. "Stop it, Jaxon..." I almost begged. His cheerfulness was only making me more depressed.

"Okay..." He sighed, then became silent. I didn't speak either, just took his hand in mine.

"Thank you for trying though." I mumbled, trying to make him feel better. He looked over at me and smiled slightly.

"I'd do anything for you, Aaliyah." He breathed, squeezing my hand gently.

"Kiss me?" I requested. Jaxon smiled eagerly, then leaned forward and kissed me gently. And what do you know? Jaxon is good at distracting me after all.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, it's late! I have actually had this done for like a week, and I posted it on Wattpad but I forgot about here and yeah, I'm sorry :(<strong>

**Keep on writing,**

**Daisy**


	7. The Vampire And The Wolf

Chapter Seven

I sat out the back of the house on a tree stump, legs crossed, a sketch pad on my lap and I started drawing. I was drawing the woods. I loved them. The trees varied from the lightest green to almost black, the bark aged beautifully, the ripples in the texture like water.

I loved drawing. Lately, it had felt like I've had all these thoughts bouncing around in my head, but when I focused on my drawing, everything got nice and quiet.

My head snapped up when I heard a sound coming from the woods. It was a strangled sound, like someone was choking, then I heard a sickening snap that send cold shivers down my spine.

Setting down the sketchpad on the ground, I slowly got up and walked into the woods. I flinched every time I placed down my foot, trying to make as little noise as possible.

I walked for a few minutes before I knew I was lost and had no idea where I was. There wasn't a sound to be heard and the sun was rapidly sinking. Plus today, Billy was at Sue's for the night and Jacob was at the Cullens for the night, so no one would know I was lost. I looked at my phone to see if I could call someone, but I was so far out that there was no signal. I swore and leaned my back against a tree.

My eyes widened when I heard a low, rumbling snarl. I pulled away from the tree and spun around, my eyes darting in all directions, searching for what made the sound.

I froze when I saw a man standing a few metres away. My first thought was that he was incredibly handsome. Then I saw his pale skin, his ripped clothes. But that wasn't what made me scream. It was the blood red eyes that shone with hunger, almost glowing in the dimness of the woods.

A scream escaped my lips as the man leapt at me. He tackled me to the ground and leaned forward, towards my neck. It took my mind a split second to realise what this man was.

Vampire...

A howl echoed in my ears, making me cry out as it rang in my ears, and the vampire was thrown off me in a blur of white and a huge amount of dark brown.

I scrambled up onto my feet as I watched the blur of white and brown roll around, knocking over trees as they fought. When they stopped, the man was pinned and the brown was a wolf the size of a horse.

I heard a sound like nails on a chalkboard and jumped out of the way as something white flew at me. It hit the tree that was behind me, then thumped to the ground. I jumped back when I saw it was a head and screamed.

The wolf walked over to me and I got to see it in better detail. It's fur was dark brown, it's muzzle was white, as was it's paws, underbelly and the insides of it's legs.

It looked at me for a long moment with familiar dark brown eyes. They looked so much like Jaxon's it was scary. Then, with what sounded like a sigh, the wolf picked up the vampire's head it its jaws and took it over to where the rest of the body was twitching on the grass. I held back a shudder of revulsion.

The wolf dropped the head onto the vampire's chest, then ran behind a bush and laid down. My brows furrowed in confusion. Was the body gonna explode and the wolf was hiding?

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped when Jaxon walked out of the same bush the wolf was hiding behind and pulled a lighter out of his denim cut offs. It was then that I realized Jaxon wasn't wearing a shirt. I swallowed harshly, then my eyes widened even wider, so much it hurt, when Jaxon threw the flaming lighter onto the still twitching vampire body.

I screamed again and jumped back again when the body burst into the biggest flames I had ever seen, as if it had been doused with gasoline when I wasn't looking.

My eyes drifted from the fire, which was emitting a discusting smelling smoke, to Jaxon, who was glaring at the flames. He spat on the pyre, then looked up at me.

"Aaliyah..." He whispered. Then it was all too much, and I fell into a black pit of quiet, soothing unconciousness, where nothing could hurt me.


	8. Finding Out And Venting With Billy

Chapter Eight

As the cool, comferting silence began to fade away back into conciousness, I heard voices. They were just indistinct murmurs at first, then they became actual words and I could recognize the voices to the people they came from.

"How are we supposed to tell Aaliyah something like this?" I heard Jaxon's voice, very close. I could feel heat around my head, so I was guessing my head was in his lap or something. "It's too soon..."

"She _saw _you ripping up a _vampire_," I heard Edward snap. "If you don't tell her, she'll probably be depressed or go insane!"

I heard a snarl really close, I could feel the vibrations of it against my skin. Wait... Was Jaxon _snarling_?

Thats when my mind started piecing things together. Jaxon's snarling... The wolf... The wolf had had the exact same coloured eyes as Jaxon...

My eyes snapped open and I gasped. Jaxon looked down at me and his eyes, which had been hard and angry, softened.

"Aaliyah?"

"You're the wolf..." I whispered, shaking. "Your the wolf... You killed that man..." I got up from his lap and started backing away.

"Aaliyah, are you alright?" Alice asked from behind me. I spun around, and even more fit together. The pale skin, the fast speed, the beauty that seemed to radiate from them... They were vampires...

"Oh my God!" I screamed, jumping away from her. "You're wolves and vampires? What the hell is going on?"

"Aaliyah, please, just calm down..." Jaxon walked over to me.

"Don't touch me, you freak!" I yelled at him. Jaxon flinched and my heart tore into tiny pieces that fluttered down onto the floor and burst into flames when I saw the hurt in his eyes.

I turned and ran out as fast as I could out of the house. I saw a motor bike standing there against a kick stand. I didn't care that it wasn't mine, I just grabbed the helmet, put it on, then sped off down the driveway, the engine growling and snarling underneath me.

Of course, as soon as I was out of the cover of the thick foliaged trees, it started raining. And when I say raining, I mean _raining_. The icy water pounded against me, and I was only wearing a tank top and shorts.

By the time I got to the house, I was soaked to the bone. I stopped the motorbike and jumped off, allowing it to fall to the side and hit the mud with a squish. I threw the helmet at the bike, crying hard and shaking, then ran inside.

I went into the bathroom and stripped off my wet clothes, then ran a boiling hot bath and sank into the water. I cried for about fifteen minutes, then let myself relax into the water, letting the heat eat away the cold of the rain and relax my stress.

I stayed in until the water was cold and my skin on my hands, fingers, feet and toes was all wrinkly and prune-ish. I didn't bother to blow dry my hair, just wrapped it up in a towel, then I dried my body off, wrapped myself up in another towel, then walked into my room.

I got dressed in my PJ's, then just laid face down on my bed, my head near the end of the bed and my feet on my pillows.

I must have dozed off, because when I looked up again, the sky was black as pitch and the rain had stopped. But that wasn't why I had woken up. It was because there had been a knock on the door.

"Who's there?" I croaked.

"It's Billy." I heard his gravely voice from the other side of my locked door. I walked over to the door, my hand hovering over the lock.

"Just you?"

"Yes, it's just Billy." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Promise?"

"On your mother's grave."

I sighed, then unlocked and opened the door. Sitting there, alone and in his wheelchair, was my father, Billy Black. I nodded and stepped to the side so he could roll himself in, then I shut the door behind him and re-locked the door before sitting on the bed. He rolled over to sit beside me and just watched me silently, waiting for me to be ready to talk. I mentally thanked him for that.

"Do we have to talk about this...?" I finally managed. "I mean, it might be a tad too dramatic."

"Aaliyah, I raised two twin girls and their little brother, all my my self. Trust me, I can handle what ever drama you got." Billy chuckled. I smiled slightly.

"You know what the Cullens are, right? And the guys?" I asked softly.

"Of course." Billy nodded.

"Well, today, I was outside drawing, when I heard something in the woods. So I went in there to see if someone was hurt or something, and there was this guy and he looked up at me. It didn't take me long to realize that he was a vampire, because his eyes were red. Then he tackled me, and there was this brown blur and the vampire was tackled off me and then the brown blur was a horse sized wolf and it ripped off the vampire's head, and then it went behind a bush, then _JAXON _comes out of the same bush and sets the vampire on fire.

"So, naturally, I pass out. Then I woke up, and I'm on the Cullen's couch and then I realized... They're vampires, and the guys are werewolves... I'm not crazy, am I dad?" My eyes widened. Maybe I _was _crazy...

Billy chuckled. "No, Aaliyah, you're not crazy... Say, would you come to the camp fire tonight?"

I eyed him sceptically. "Who's going to be there...?"

"Well..." He looked at his lap, twiddling his thumbs. "The pack... and the Elders..."

"Oh, hell to the no!" I stood up. "I am not hanging out with a bunch of freaks!"

"Those _freaks_ are your friends and family!" Billy almost shouted, getting pissed off now. "Your brother and your cousins!"

"If they are my family, how come I was left in the care of my aunt while you all lived here, happy, while I cried every time I saw my friends hugging their parents, fighting with their brothers and sisters! For once, why can't I be happy?" I screamed.

Billy sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going to force you into anything, Aaliyah... But please... Just _think _about it..." He turned and I had to help him out of the room, then locked the door again and threw myself onto my bed with a groan.

"I hate my life..." I groaned into my pillow.


	9. Quileute Legends Around A Bonfire

**It took me two days to copy 15 pages of the bonfire story scene onto here, my fingers ache like all hell, and the letters on my keyboard are fading. I hope you all love me. Alright, well, here you go XD **

Chapter Nine

I laid on my bed, face down, contemplating my options. I could lay here for the rest of the summer, avoiding everyone because probably none of them were human, or I could suck it up and go out to the stupid bonfire and forgive the stupid werewolves for not telling me their stupid secret,

Ugh.

I pulled myself up off the bed, then got dressed in a thigh length purple shirt, jeggings and black ballet flats. I put my long hair up into a ponytail, put some blood red lipstick, dark brown eyeshadow and eyeliner on. I clipped on a silver necklace that had a black jewel in the centre that rested between my collar bones. It emphasized my eyes, Aunt Lily had told me.

God I missed Aunt Lily. I missed how she would always wake me up with a smile and a piece of jam on toast to make sure I didn't fall asleep again. I missed how she never made me clean my room, she did it for me. I missed Jackson, Micheal and Travis. I missed how when they wanted to tell me something in the morning while I was showering, they wrote a note on the bathroom mirror when it was all fogged up from the steam. I missed how they used to help me build cars. I missed how they used to take me to the fair. I missed how they were way too overprotective of me.

I missed my old life.

I left my room with a sigh and walked into the loungeroom. Jacob was there, talking to Billy, the keys to the Rabbit in his hand, clanging and chiming. I cringed slightly as I stepped on a squeaky floorboard and two pairs of black eyes met my identical ones.

"I uh..." I cleared my throat. "I thought I would go to this stupid bonfire... I mean, other than laying in my room and getting fat and depressed..."

Billy chuckled and Jake walked over to me, wrapping his arms around me and crushing me to his chest as he had done at the airport.

"C-can't breathe, J-Jacob..." I gasped out.

"Oh yeah." Jacob laughed and put me down, then kissed my forhead. "I missed you, Aali."

"How long was I in my room for?" I asked, confused.

"I dunno, too long?" Jacob make it sounds like a question. I laughed and tousled his shaggy hair. Good thing I was tall too.

"Come on, lets go kids." Billy laughed. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, Dad." I whispered in his ear as I pushed him out the door. He chuckled.

"I know."

When we got to the cliff, everyone was already there, sitting around a roaring fire, laughing and eating things like hot dogs and packets of chips, drinking huge bottles of Coke.

When I got there, everyone stopped and stared at me. I blushed dark red and looked down at my feet. I knew I deserved every bit of guilt that was twisting and knotting my stomach.

I looked up finally, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry... about what I said. I shouldn't of said them, but I was scared and confused, I wasn't really even aware of most of what was going on... and I just hope that you all can forgive me..."

"Oh, of course we do honey!" Emily bounded up and hugged me tightly in a grip as tight as Jacob's. I felt something press against my stomach and blinked in surprise, looking down at Emily's stomach, where I saw a slight bump against her shirt, which had pressed back.

"Ssh!" Emily grinned, pulling out her shirt so the tiny bump was concealed. I giggled and nodded. I was honored that she trusted me enought not to tell.

Then, one after the other, I got a hug from all the wolf pack. The last one was Jaxon. He just stared at me for a long while, tensed and his face pained, before he swept me close to him with his arms, holding me tightly, and crushed his lips to mine.

And I was whole again.

I sat on a log between Jaxon and Jacob, Jaxon had his arm securely around my waist, Jacob had both his arms around Renesmee's waist as she was perched on his lap. He had gone back to pick her up while me and Jaxon had talked and forgiven eachother, me for yelling and calling him names, he for not telling me sooner.

When Billy cleared his throat, we all turned to look at him. He paused for a second, making sure he had all of our attention before he began to tell a story in his rich, deep voice. The words poured out with precision, as if he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a subtle rythm. Like poetry performed by its author.

"The Quileutes have been a small tribe from the beginning," Billy said. "And we are a small tribe still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting - that came later. Fist, we were spirit warriors."

Never before had I recognized the ring of majesty that was in my father's voice, though I realized now that this authority had always been there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emily scribbling furiously on a pad of paper. I realized she was copying the story. _I'll get her a tape recorder..._ I thought.

"In the beginning, the tribe settled in this harbour and became skilled ship builders and fishermen. But the tribe was small, and the harbour was rich in fish. There were others who covered our land, and we were too small to hold it. A larger tribe moved against us, and we took to our ships to escape them.

"Kaheleha was not the first spirit warrior, but we do not remember the stories that came before his. We do not remember who was the first to discover this power, or how it had been used before this crisis. Kaheleha _was _the first great Spirit Chief in our history. In this emergency, Kaheleha used the magic to defend our land.

"He and all his warriors left the ship - not their bodies, but their spirits. Their women watched over the bodies and the waves, and the men took their spirits back to our harbor.

"They could not physically touch the enemy tribe, but they had other ways. The stories tell us that they could make a great screaming in the wind that terrified their foes. The stories also tell us that the animals could see the spirit warriors and understand them; the animals would to their biding.

"Kaheleha took his spirit army and wreaked havoc on the intruders. This invading tribe had packs of big, thick-furred dogs that they used to pull their sleds in the frozen north. The spirit warriors turned the dogs against their masters and then brought a mighty infestation of bats up from the cliff caverns. They used the screamin wind to aid the dogs in confusing the men. The dogs and bats won. The survivors scattered, calling our harbour a cursed place. The dogs ran wild when the spirit warriors released them. The Quileutes returned to their bodies and their wives, victorious.

"The other neaby tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs, made treaties with the Quileutes. They wanted nothing to do with our magic. We lived in peace with them. When an enemy came against us, the spirit warriors would drive them off.

"Generations passed. Then came the last great Spirit Chief, Taha Aki. He was known for his wisdom, and for being a man of peace. The people lived wel and content in his care.

"But there was one man, Utlapa, who was not content."

A low hiss ran around the fire. I was too slow to see where it came from. Billy ignored it and went on with the legend.

"Utlapa was one of Chief Taha Aki's strongest spirit warriors - a powerful man, but a grasping man, too. He thought the people should use their magic to expand their lands, to enslave the Hohs and the Makahs and build an empire.

"Now, when the warriors were in their spirit selves, they knew each others' thoughts. Taha Aki saw what Utlapa dreamed, and was angry with Utlapa. Utlapa was commanded to leave the people, and never use his spirit self again. Utlapa was a strong man, but the cheif's warriors outnumbered him. He had no choice but to leave. The furious outcast hid in the forest nearby, waiting for a chance to get revenge against the cheif.

"Even in times of peace, the Spirit Chief was vigilant in protecting his people. Often, he would go to a sacred, secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body behind and sweep down through the forests and along the coast, making sure no threat approached.

"One day when Taha Aki left to perform this duty, Utlapa followed. At first, Utlapa simply planned to kill the cheif, but this plan had it's drawbacks. Surely the spirit warriors would seek to destroy him, and they could follow faster than he could escape. As he hid in the rocks and watched the chief prepard to leave his body, another plan occured to him.

"Taha Aki left his body in the secret place and flew with the winds to keep watch over his people. Utlapa waited until he was sure the chief had traveled some distance with his spirit self.

"Taha Aki knew it the instant that Utlapa had joined him in the spirit world, and he also knew Utlapa's murderous plan. He raced back to his secret place, but even the winds weren't fast enough to save him. When he returned, his body was already gone. Utlapa's body lay abandoned, but Utlapa had not left Taha Aki with an escape - he had cut his own body's throat with Taha Aki's hands.

"Taha Aki followed his own body down the mountain. He screamed at Utlapa, but Utlapa ignored him as if he were mere wind.

"Taha Aki watched with despair as Utlapa took his place as chief of the Quileutes. For a few weeks, Utlapa did nothing but make sure that everyone believe that he was Taha Aki. Then the changes began - Utlapa's first edict was to forbid any warrior to enter the spirit world. He claimed that he'd had a vision of danger, but really he was afraid. He knew that Taha Aki would be waiting for the chance to tell his story. Utlapa was also afraid to enter the spirit world to himself, knowing that Taha Aki would quickly claim his body. So his dreams of conquest with a spirit warrior army was impossible, and he sought to content himself with ruling over the tribe. He became a burden - seeking privileges that Taha Aki never requested, refusing to work along side his warriors, taking a young second wife, and then a third, though Taha Aki's wife lived on - something unheard of in the tribe. Taha Aki watched in helpless fury.

"Eventually, Taha Aki tried to kill his body to save the tribe from Utlapa's excesses. He brought a fierce wolf down from the mountains, but Utlapa hid behind his warriors. When the wolf killed a young man wo was protecting the false cheif, Taha Akiu felt horrible grief. He ordered the wolf away.

"All the stories tell us that it was no easy thing to be a spirit warrior. It was more frightening than exhilarating to be freed from one's body. This is why they only used their magic in times of need. The chief's solitary journeys to keep watch were a burden and a sacrifice. Being bodiless was disorienting, uncomfertable, horrifying. Taha Aki had been away from his body for so long at this point that he was in agony. He felt he was doomed - never to cross to the final land where his ancestors waited, stuck in this torturous nothingness forever.

"The great wolf followed Taha Aki's spirit as he twisted and writhed in agony through the woods. The wolf was very large for it's kind, and beautiful. Taha Aki was suddenly jealous of the dumb animal. At least it had a body. At least it had a life. Even life as an animal woud be better than this horrible empty consciousness.

"And then Taha Aki had the idea that changed us all. He asked the great wolf to make room for him, to share. The wolf complied. Taha Aki entered the wolf's body with relief and gratitude. It was not his human body, but it was beter than the void of the spirit world.

"As one, the man and the wolf returned to the village on the harbour. The people ran away in fear, shouting for warriors to come. The warriors ran to meet the wolf with their spears. Utlapa, of course, stayed hidden.

"Taha Aki did not attack his warriors. He retreated slowly from them, speaking with his eyes and trying to yelp the songs of his people. The warriors began to realize that the wolf was no ordinary animal, that there was a spirit influencing it. One older warrior, a man named Yut, decided to disobey the false chief's order and try to communicate with the wolf.

"As soon as Yut crossed to the spirit world, Taha Aki lef the wolf - the animal waited tamely for his return - to speak to him. Yut gathered the truth in an instant, and welcomed his true chief home.

"At this time, Utlapa came to see if the wolf had been defeated. When he saw Yut lying lifeless on the ground, surrounded by protective warriors, he realized what was happening. He drew his knife and raced forward to kill Yut before he could return to his body.

"'Traitor,' he screamed, and the warriors did not know what to do. The chief had forbidden spirit journeys, and it was the chiefs decision how to punish those who disobeyed.

"Yut jumped back into his body, but Utlapa had his knife at his throat and a hand covering his mouth. Taha Aki's body was strong, and Yut was weak with age. Yut could not say one word to warn the others before he was silenced forever.

"Taha Aki watched as Yut's spirit slipped away to the final lands that were barred to Taha Aki for all eternity. He felt a great rage, more powerful then anything he had ever felt before. He entered the big wolf again, meaning to rip Utlapa's throat out. But, as he joined the wolf, the greatest magic happened.

"Taha Aki's rage was the anger of the man. The love he had for his people and the hatred he had for their oppressor were too vast for the wolf's body, too human. The wolf shuddered and - before the eyes of the shocked warriors and Utlapa - transformed into a man.

"The new man did not look like Taha Aki's body. He was far more glorious. He was the fresh interpretation of Taha Aki's spirit. The warriors recognized him at once, though, for they have flown with Taha Aki's spirit.

"Utlapa tried to run, but Taha Aki had the strength of the wolf in his new body. He caught the theif and crushed the spirit from him before he could jump out of the stolen body.

"The people rejoiced when they understood what had happened. Taha Aki quickly set everything right, working again with his people and giving the yound wives back to their families. The only change he kept in place was the end of spirit travels. He knew that it was too dangerous not that the idea of stealing life was there. The spirit warriors were no more.

"From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf, or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. The wolves were all different, because they were spirit wolves and reflected the man they were inside.

"Some of the sons became warriors with Taha Aki, and they no longer aged. Others, who did not like the transformation, refused to join the pack of wolfmen. These began to age again, and the tribe discovered that the wolf-men could grow olf like anyone else if they gave up their spirit wolves. Taha Aki had lived the span of three old men's lives. He had married a third wife after the deaths of the first two, and found in her his true spirit wife. Though he had loved the others, this was something else. He decided to give up his spirit wolf so that he would die when she died.

"That is how the magic came to us, but it is not the end of the story..."

Billy looked at Old Quil Ateara, who shifted in his chair, straightening his frail shoulders. Billy took a drink from a bottle of water and wiped his forhead. Emily's pen never hesitated as she scribbled furiously on the paper.

"That was the story of the spirit wolves," Old Quil began in a thin tenor voice. "This is the story of the third wife's sacrifice.

"Many years after Taha Aki gave up his spirit wolf, when he was an old man, trouble began in the north, with the Makahs. Several young women of their tribe had disappeared, and they blamed it on the neighbouring wolves, who they feared and mistrusted. The wolf-men could still read eachothers thoughts while in their wolf forms, just like their ancestors had while in their spirit forms. They knew that none of their number was to blame. Taha Aki tried to pacify the Makah chief, but there was too much fear. Taha Aku did not want to have a war on his hands. He was no longer a warrior to lead his people. He charged his oldest wolf-son, Taha Wi, with finding the true culprit before hostilities began.

"Taha Wi lef the five other wolves in his pack on a search through the mountains, looking for an evidence of the missing Makahs. They came across something they had never encountered before - a strange, sweet scent in the forest that burned their noses to the point of pain."

I shrank a little closer into Jaxon's side. I saw him look at me, worridly, then he smiled reassuringly and he hugged me tighter.

"They did not know what creature would leave such a scent, but they did follow it," Old Quil continued. His quaverng voice did not have the majesty of Billy's, but it had a strange, fierce edge of urgency about it. My pulse jumped as his words came faster.

"They found faint traces of human scent, and human blood, along the trail. They were sure this was the enemy they were searching for.

"The journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent have the pack, the younger ones, back to the harbour to report to Taha Aki.

"Taha Wi and his two brothers did not return.

"The younger brothers searched for their elders, but found only silence. Taha Aki mourned for his sons. He wished to avenge his sons' death, but he was old. He went to the Makah chief in his mourning clothes and told him everything that had happened. The Makah cheif believed his grief, and tensions ended between the tribes.

"A year later, two Makah maidens disappeared from their homes on the same night. The Makahs called on the Quileute wolves at once, who found the same sweet stink all through the Makah villiage. The wolves went on the hunt again.

"Only one came back. He was Yaha Uta, the oldest son of Taha Aki's third wife, and the youngest in the pack. He brought something with him that had never been seen in all the days of the Quileutes - a strange, cold, stony corpse that he carried in pieces. All who were of Taha Aki's blood, even those who had never been wolves, could smell the dead creature. This was the enemy of the Makahs.

"Yaha Uta described what had happened: he and his brothers had found the creature, who looked like a man, but was hard as a granite rock, with the two Makah daughters. One girl was already dead, white and bloodless on the ground. The other was in the creature's arms, his mouth at her throat. She may have still been alive when they came upon the hideous scene, but the creature quickly snapped her neck and tossed her lifeless body to the ground when they approached. His white lips were covered in her blood, and his eyes glowed red.

"Yaha Uta described the fierce strength and speed of the creature. One of his brothers quickly became victim when he underestimated that strength. The creature ripped him apart like a doll. Yaha Uta and his other brother were more wary. They worked together, coming at the creature from both sides, outmaneuvering it. They had to reach the very limits of their wolf strength and speed, something that had never been tested before. The creature was hard as stone and cold as ice. They found that only their teeth could damage it. They began to rip small pieces off the creature while it fought them.

"But the creature learned quickly, and soon was matching their manuevers. It got it's hands on Yaha Uta's bother. Yaha Uta found an opening on the creatures throat, and he lunged. His teeth tore off the head of the creature, but the hands continued to mangle his brother.

"Yaha Uta ripped the creature into unrecognizable chunks, tearing the pieces apart in a desprate attempt to save his brother. He was too late, but, int he end, the creature was destroyed.

"Or so they thought. Yaha Uta laid the reeking remains out to be examined by the elders. One severed had lay beside a piece of the creatures granite arm. The two pieces touched when the elders pocked them with sticks, and the hands reached out towards the arm piece, trying to reassemble itself.

"Horrified, the elders set fire to the remains. A great cloud of chocking, vile smoke polluted the air. When there was nothing but ashes, they separated the ashes into many small bags and spread them far and wide - some in the ocean, some in the forest, some in the cliff caverns. Taha Aki wore one bag around his neck, so he would be warned if the creature ever tried to put himself together again."

Old Quil paused and looked at Billy. Billy pulled out a leather thong from around his neck. Hanging from the end was a small bag, blackened with age. A few people gasped, me being one of them.

"They called it The Cold One, the Blood Drinker, and lived in fear that it was not alone. They only had one wolf protecter left, young Yaha Uta.

"They did not have long to wait. The creature had a mate, another blood drinker, who came to the Quileutes seeking revenge.

"The stories say that the Cold Woman was the most beautiful thing that human eyes had ever seen. She looked like the goddess of the down when she entered the village that morning; the sun was shining for once, and it glittered off her white skin and lit the golden hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was magical in its beauty, her eyes black in her white face. Some fell to their knees to worship her.

"She asked something in a high, piercing voice, in a language no one had ever heard. The people were dumb-founded, not knowing how to answer her. There was none of Taha Aki's blood among the witnesses but one small boy. He clung to his mother and screamed that the smell was hurting his nose. One of the elders, on his was to council, heard the boy and realized what had come among them. He yelled for the people to run. She killed him first.

"There were twenty witnesses to the Cold Women's approach. Two survived, only because she grew distracted by the blood, and paused to sate her thirst. They ran to Taha Aki, who sat in counsel with the two elders, his sons and his third wife.

"Yaha Uta transformed into his spirit wolf as soon as he heard the news. He went to destroy the blood drinker alone. Taha Aki, his third wife, his sons, and his elders followed behind him.

"At first they could not find the creature, only the evidence of her attack. Bodies lay broken, a few drained of blood, strewn across the roads where she'd appeared. Then they heard the screams and hurried to the harbour.

"A handful of the Quileutes had run to the ships for refuge. She swam after them like a shark, and broke the bow of their boat with her incredible strength. When the ship sank, she caught those trying to swim away and broke them roo.

"She saw the great wolf on the shore and she forgot about the fleeing swimmers. She swam so fast that she was a blur and came, dripping and glorious, to stand before Yaha Uta. She pointed at him with one white finger and asked another incomprehensible question. Yaha Uta waited.

"It was a close fight. She was not the warrior her mate had been. But Yaha Uta was alone - there was no one to distract her fury from him.

"When Yaha Uta lost, Taha Aki screamed in defiance. He limped forward and shifted into an ancient, white muzzled wolf. The wolf was olf, but this was Taha Aki the Spirit Man and his rage made him strong. The fight began again.

"Taha Aki's third wife had just seen her son die before her. Now her husband fought, and she had no hope that he could win. She'd heard every word the witnesses to the slaughter had told the council. She'd heard the story of Yaha Uta's first victory, and knew that his brother's diversion had saved him.

"The third wife grabbed a knife from the belt of one of the sons who stood beside her. They were all young sons, not yet men, and she knew they would die when their father failed.

"The third wife ran toward the Cold Woman with the dagger raised high. The Cold Woman smiled, barely distracted from her fight with the old wolf. She had no fear of the weak human woman or the knife that would not even scratch her skin, and she was about to deliver the death blow to Taha Aki.

"And then the third wife did something the Cold Woman did not expect. The third wife fell to her knees at the blood drinker's feet and plunged the knife into her own heart.

"Blood spurted through the third wife's fingers and splashed against the Cold Woman. The blood drinker could not resist the lure of fresh blood leaving the third wife's body. Instinctivly, she turned to the dieing woman, for one second entirely consumed by thirst.

"Taha Aki's teeth closed around her neck.

"That was not the end of the fight, but Taha Aki was not alone now. Watching their mother die, two young sons felt such rage that they sprang forth as their spirit wolves, though they were not yet men. With their father, they finished the creature.

"Taha Aki never rejoined the tribe. He never changed back into a man again. He lay for one day beside the body of the third wife, growling whenever anyone tried to touch her, and then he went into the forest and never returned.

"Trouble with the cold ones was rare from that time on. Taha Aki's sons guarded the tribe until their sons were old enough to take their places. There were never more than three wolves at a time. It was enough. Occasionally a blood drinker would come through these lands, but they were taken by surprise, not expecting the wolves. Sometimes a wolf would die, but never were they decimated again like that first time. They'd learned how to fight the cold ones, and they passed the knowledge on, wolf mind to wolf mind, spirit to spirit, father to son.

"Time passed, and the descendats of Taha Aku no longer became wolves when they reached manhood. Only in a great while, if a cold one was near, would the wolves return. The cold ones always came in ones and twos, and the pack stayed small.

"A bigger coven came, and your own great-grandfathers prepared to fight them off. But the leader spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man, and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave some proof to his claim that they were not the same as other blood drinkers. The wolves were outnumbered; there was no need for the cold ones to offer any treaty when they could have won the fight. Ephraim accepted. They've stayed true to their side, though their presence does tend to draw in others.

"And their numbers have forced a larger pack than the tribe has ever seen," Old Quil said, and for one moment his black eyes, all but buried in the wrinkles of skin folded around them, seemed to rest on me. "Except, of course, in Taha Aki's time," he said, and then he sighed. "And so the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them."

All was silent for a long moment. The living descendants of magic and legend stared at one another across the fire with a sadness in their eyes. Except mine and Quil's.

"Wow..." I breathed, looking up at all the wolves, wonder and awe shining in my eyes. I had thought they were vicious animals that murdered people and animals on the full moon, but really they were protecting me and the rest of La Push from vampires. "Wait, so... The Cullens are Cold Ones...? But you guys hang out with them!" I was confused again.

Jacob chuckled, holding a sleeping Renesmee to his chest. "You remember how Taha Aki felt about the third wife? She was his everything, his whole world, his life, his existance... Like a blind man seeing the sun before... Well..." He looked down at Ness and couldn't help a wide, Jacob-y smile.

"Ah..." I nodded. "Got it."

Emily laughed, getting my attention. "Me and Sam." She stated taking his hand and smiling lovingly at him.

"Me and Claire Bear." Quil bounced a two year old on his knees.

"Me and Rachel." Paul kissed my sister's head.

There was a long pause and it didn't take long for my spinning mind for me to make a final connection. My eyes widened so far it made them sting as I turned to look up at Jaxon, who was watching me.

"You and me..." I whispered.

"OH FINALLY!" Paul groaned in relief. "OW!"

Rachel frowned at Paul as he clutched his arm where Rachel had pinched him. "Don't be a jerk!" She shot back.

I bit my lip, but I couldn't help it and giggled. Everyone stared at me, shocked, then we all started laughing. It felt good to laugh, to feel like I was a part of things again, that I wasn't some loner in my room. I was with my friends, my family, and my true love.

I now know true happiness.

**So, what do you think? Long enough? xD well, I love you's all, vote and comment, tell me what you think. I always love to hear feedback, just so I know that you care and love Aaliyah and Jaxon and all the other characters as much as I do XD**

**Keep on writing,**

**Daisy**


	10. The Volturi

Chapter Ten

"No, no, no!" I was scolded. "Don't put you're fingers there!"

"But that's were you told me to put them five seconds ago!" I cried, frustration taking over me. I shoved the guitar back at him.

"Well, I guess I changed my mind!" Paul rolled his eyes.

Rachel laughed as she walked in with two plates, one with a normal amount of chips and dip, one with a mountain of both. It wasn't hard to figure out who's was whos. Racheal sat beside me on their mountainous bed and as Paul devoured his lunch, me and Racheal chatted and shared the plate of food.

It was hard to believe that she was pregnant. It was even harder to believe that she was almost eight months along and I hadn't even noticed at the bonfire.

"Ooh!" Rachel suddenly squeaked. Paul was immediately tense and he started moving towards her.

"Whats wrong?" He demanded urgantly as my eyes widened.

Rachel simply giggled. "Don't worry Paul, nothing major, just the baby started kicking. Here." She took his hand and mine, then placed them on one spot of her huge round belly. I felt a nudging sensation against my palm and I couldn't help a wonderous giggle of my own. I'd never felt a baby kick before. I've never really had much experience with babies at all for that matter.

"Have you guys thought of names?" I asked curiously when we all laid down, Rachel in the middle, Paul's arm around her waist and his hand resting possessivly on her bloated stomach and I held Rachel's hand, drawing patterns on it randomly.

Rachel giggled again, causing her stomach to jiggle slightly. "I like the name Madeleine..."

"Madeleine Caelum..." I murmured and laughed when I saw the wide smiles that spread across the parents-to-be's faces. "But what if it's a boy?"

"I like Josef..." Paul murmured.

"Josef Caelum...? Nah, that's icky..." I pursed my lips as I thought. "How about... Luke? Luke Caelum?"

"I like it," Rachel winked at me, then looked at her finacee. "What do you think?"

"If you like it, I don't see a problem..." He leaned in for a kiss, but my hand flew out and slapped against his lips, knocking him back, not because I was stronger but because of shock. Paul stared at me with wide, surprised eyes.

"If you kiss or make out or have sex or anything like that, it can induce early labour." I told them. I don't remember where I heard that... I think it was Aunt Lily, or Emily or someone.

Rachel's eyes widened with alarm, as did Paul's, but then he grinned cheekily. "I think I can risk just one..." He pecked her forhead.

"Oooooooooooh!" Me and Rachel chorused reprimandingly, then looked at eachother and started laughing. Paul stared at us for a long moment before he too started laughing.

As soon as I settled into sleep, I knew I was going to have one of my bad nightmares. It was like ice slid down my spine and all my muscles started cramping, a migrane splitting through my head.

An image flickered into view infront of my eyes and I decided to pay attention to it to distract myself from the pain.

I saw people, pale people in dark cloaks. When I saw their crimson eyes, I identified them as vampires. But there were so many of them...

They came with pageantry, with a kind of beauty.

They came in a rigid, formal formation. They moved together, but it was not a march; they flowed in perfect synchronicity from the trees - a dark, unbroken shape that seemed to hover a few inches above the dew covered grass, so smooth was the advance.

The outer perimeter was gray; the colour darkened with each line of bodies until the heart of the formation was deepest black. Every face was cowled, shadowed. The faint brushing sound of their feet was so regular it was like music, a complicated beat that never faltered.

At some sign I didn't see - or perhaps there was no sign, only a millennia of practice - the configuration folded outward. The motion was too stiff, too square to resemble the opening of a flower, though the colour suggested that; it was the opening of a fan, graceful but very angular. The gray-cloaked figures spread to the flanks while the darker forms surged precisely forward in the center, each movement closely controlled.

Their progress was slow but deliberate, with no hurrt, no tension, no anxiety. It was the pace of the invinciable.

And they were heading for the Cullens.

I jolted awake with a scream, hearing Billy pounding away at the door, booming my name. I stood shakily and walked over to the door, opened it with shakey hands and stared at my father as tears rolled down my face.

"I need to talk to Carlisle. Now." I whispered. "They're in danger."

**Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun XD I copied the dream bit outta Breaking Dawn, incase you didn't notice. Sorry, it's short, I know, but I really wanted to get this chapter up and *sings* hereeeeeeeee iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! **

**Sorry, no more sugar for me XD**

**Keep on writing,**

**Daisy**


	11. Telling Them

Chapter Eleven

I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. I could feel the sweat beading up on my fore head, my heart slamming painfully against my ribcage, my head throbbing with the new images I had recently obtained.

"Are you okay?"

From what I had heard about Leah Clearwater, she wasn't exactly the caring type. She was usually the type to tell you to shut up and to suck it up, so I was kind of surprised. I looked over at her, and her dark eyes flicked to mine at the same time; she offered a small smile.

"I know you've heard my bitchy history, but Jacob is my best friend and any sibling of his is a friend of mine." She told me softly. I nodded in understanding. It made sense. "How are you feeling?"

"I have the biggest headache, I feel like I've been hit by a truck and my heart is about to split through my ribcage..." I groaned, leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes.

"Has anyone ever told you _why_ I'm such a bitch, Aaliyah?"

"No..." I moaned in agony. Getting shot at repeatedly would be less painful. Well, I guess. I haven't been shot before, thank God.

"Well, you obviously know about imprinting," Leah said, a bitter tone in her voice. "Well, before Sam was a wolf, he and I were together."

I opened my eyes and blinked at her. This was a good distraction from the pain; very interesting.

"But then, when he phased, he imprinted on someone else..."

"Emily." I said when Leah didn't continued.

"Yeah. Emily," Leah growled. "My cousin."

I gasped loudly. "B-but... she's... a-and... you and... huh?"

Leah managed a strangled laughed. "Yeah, I know, right?"

"Shit..." I muttered.

"Shit." Leah agreed.

"Okay, Aaliyah, I want you to tell me everything that happened."

All the Cullens and most of the pack were in the living room with me again, Carlisle crouched infront of me so we were at eye level.

"Everything I saw?" I mumbled.

Carlisle gave me a comferting smile. "Yes, please, Aaliyah."

I took a deep breath. "I saw people, really pale people, and they were in dark cloaks. And when I saw that they had red eyes, I realized they were vampires..."

"Volturi." I heard someone snarl, but I kept myself focused on Carlisle so I didn't burst into tears.

"Continue." he urged softly.

"They moved really gracefully, but really stiffly. They looked agitated... But kind of smug... and then, I realized... They were heading for..." I swallowed harshly.

"Heading for who?"

"You. Your family. The Cullens, and a bunch of other vampires, some with golden eyes and red eyes..."

"Anything else?" Carlisle asked, eyes wide with alarm and worry.

"No. I woke up screaming before I could see anything else..." I buried my face in my hands and let out a shaky breath.

Jaxon wrapped an arm comfertingly around me and Leah clasped my other hand tightly. We seemed to have become friends in the fifteen mintues we had proparly known eachother.

"What's going on?" I heard a sleepy soprano voice and we all turned to the top of the stairs to see Renesmee standing there, one hand on the rail, the other rubbing her right eyes.

"It's okay, Nessie," Bella smiled comfertingly, standing up. "Come on, back to bed." she was beside her daughter in less than a second, taking her daughter's hand off the banister and taking her out of eye and ear shot.

"So, this is going to end in _another_ fight?" Paul growled and I looked up at him. I understood what he was thinking; he didn't want to risk anything when Rachel was so close to having their baby and he didn't want to cause her any additional stress.

"Most likely..." I mumbled. "That's what it looked like from where I was watching."

Paul swore and gritted his teeth, clenching his teeth and curling his hands into fists. I got up and wrapped my arms comfertingly around him. We hugged for a moment, then I sat back down, this time on Jaxon's lap.

"So, does this mean more training?" Embry sounded too eager and everyone shot him a dark look.

"More training." Jasper agreed, a dark look coming over his scarred face. "And we might not be so lucky this time."


	12. Getting Ready For Practice

Chapter Twelve

"I want to go!" I demanded stubbornly, crossing my arms infront of my chest.

"No, Aaliyah, it's too dangerous, damnit!" Jaxon cried.

"Bella got to go when she was human!" I yelled in my defense. He scowled.

"That is different-"

"How?"

"Because the whole thing was about Bella that time-"

"Well, the whole thing is about my family now. You, Jacob, the packs, the Cullens, you're all my family. I'm not asking to be in the friggin fight, that's just suicide for a human like me, but I want to be there for practice! It's not like anyone is going to hurt me!"

Jaxon was fuming, but he knew that I had won. I smirked at him.

"Check mate." I poked his chest, then headed out the door, pulling up my hood to protect my hair from the light rain as I headed for the Rabbit. I was the only one Jacob trusted enough to drive it other than himself.

"Aaliyah, I really think this is dangerous." Jaxon frowned, already in the cab in the passenger seat.

"Well, that sucks for you, don't it?" I stuck out my tongue, then focused on slowly backing out. Jaxon waited until we were driving along the highway towards Forks before he began to talk. It was dark; they thought it was safer to practice when people were asleep.

"Why do you want to go so much?"

"Because I don't want to be sitting at home all day, worrying. I heard Paul is taking Rachel."

"That's-"

"If you say different, I will drive this car off a cliff and jump out just at the right minute, and if you survive I'll tell Jacob you were driving so he can kill you." I threatened.

Jaxon sighed. "It _is _different, because Paul isn't going to be practising. He's just watching so he can stay by Rachel as they watch, because he didn't want to leave her home alone."

"Is he worried she's just gonna pop at any moment?" I giggled.

"Well, yeah." Jaxon chuckled.

"She is pretty big." I allowed.

"And she's eight months today."

"Poor Paul. Us Black's have strong grips. I hope his hand survives."

"Good thing we have supernatural healing." Jaxon chuckled.

"I don't even _that_ is gonna save Paul's hand." I grinned. "He may even loose his whole arm. I've heard birth is painful."

"Yeah. My mum forced me to watch a video of a woman giving birth because she though that I was having unprotected sex and she wanted to show me the consequences."

I winced at the pain that threatened to rip my heart out. "D-Did you...?" my voice was strangled.

Jaxon's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. "Oh, God, no! Of course not, Aaliyah!"

I let out a shaky breath of relief. My chest had tightened, my heart felt like it'd been stabbed, I felt pale in the face and my stomach hurt; I might have thrown up.

"G-Good..." I mumbled and shook my head to clear away the thought. I felt better as soon as Jaxon had denied it, but a knot of worry still twisted my stomach.

When I pulled up at the edge of the trees, I blinked.

"I don't think I'm gonna be able to walk through all that in the dark..."

Jaxon chuckled and I looked at him, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"You're gonna have to ride me."

I blushed darkly at the innuendo. Curse Quil and Embry; they've given me such a dirty mind. Jaxon laughed.

"I meant, I phase then you get on my back and I carry you."

"Ah huh..." I mumbled, still blushing, and got out of the car.

"Never... again..." I mumbled as I slid off Jaxon-wolf's back and nearly fell on my butt - Alice had caught me with a giggle. The world spun and the knot of worry in my stomach threatened to send my dinner up the way it had come out.

"Have fun?" Alice grinned at me, her pearly white teeth shining in the darkness. I shot her a dirty look and shoved her shoulder. She didn't move an inch.

"Shut up..." I went over to where Rachel was sitting with Rosalie, and as I got close I could hear that Rachel was telling her about what it was like to be pregnant. I felt bad for Rosalie; Rachel had the one thing that she couldn't have, what she wanted most. A baby.

I sat down on Rachel's other side. They were sitting on a log; it looked like someone had wiped the moss and weeds off it. Rosalie patted Rachel's hand, whispered something to her bloated stomach, then walked off.

"She's nice." Rachel smiled at me. I laughed.

"Who'd've thunk it." I said in a redneck accent. Rachel laughed loudly and I saw a big grey wolf look at us, barks choking from his throat that resembled laughter. It must have been Paul.

I saw them all start to get together and sighed.

"Let the games begin." I mumbled.

"Yay." Rachel grinned.


	13. Play Fighting

Chapter Thirteen

Rachel took my hand and I squeezed it reasurringly. I knew I was as scared but excited as she was. She took a deep breath as I did and I gave her a small smile, then we turned and looked at the wolves and the Cullens.

They were all standing in a circle, a few paces apart, the inside part an arena of sorts. I knew the wolves weren't going to fight the Cullens, for fear of them getting hurt, but they were going to watch, which was almost as good. The only wolf that wasn't standing with the pack was Paul, who was laying on the ground with Rachel and I; he let us lean against his side, his head on Rachel's legs since her bloated stomach took up all the space on her lap. I sighed, wishing that Jaxon was here with me too, laying with me and resting his head against my skin, rumbling softly as I ran my fingers through his thick, dark brown fur...

I blinked to dispell my fantasies, blood rushing into my cheeks. Rachel looked at me and raised an eyebrow questioningly, but I just shook my head. She smiled and patted my hand soothingly; she could tell I wanted Jaxon close, like she had Paul close. I was very jealous and considered getting pregnant for a moment so Jaxon wouldn't leave my side, but dismissed it almost immediately. That was stupid. And besides, if Jacob didn't kill Jaxon and Billy didn't kill me, Travis, Micheal and Jackson would kill Jaxon and Lily would kill me. Teenage pregnancy was a big no-no in all of their books. And neither Rachel or Paul were teenagers, plus they were getting married, so I was out of luck. I looked up when Edward chuckled and resisted the urge to flip him with bird.

Jasper looked around at everyone, clearing his throat. We all looked at him, giving him our full attention. He was scary, with his many scars my weak human eyes could only just make out in the pale shine of the moonlight that were covering almost ever inch of his skin.

"Let me just say that the Volturi are almost complete polar opposites to the newborns we fought last year. They're strong, yes, but not newborn strong. They have numbers too, but that is not what is special about them. They have _powers_," he sighed and took a breath. I knew that even though vampires didn't need to breathe, they did need the air to talk. "There are insignificant powers, like Marcus'. He can feel your emotional ties to someone, kind of like my power but more defined. But then, there's Alec. His power is probably the post dangerous. He can create a fog, and once the fog hits you, you're powerless. Your senses are gone. You can't see, hear, feel, smell, taste or touch _anything_. His sister Jane can make you feel pain. Not like a scrape on your knee pain, but pain so agonizing death sounds like a good option," a rumble of worry ran through the wolves and I saw Paul's lips curl over his teeth slightly. Rachel scratched behind his ear soothingly. "But, luckily for us, she can't use it on multiple people at a time, and she needs to use her undivided attention, so if she does try to use her power, she's vunerable for attack."

I closed my eyes, feeling worry constrict in my chest and add another knot to my stomach. It sounded like an inevitable loss, the way Jasper was putting it, and I couldn't stand loosing anyone. They were all my family.

"They're going to be fast, and they have millenias of practice and experience on our side." Jasper added.

"But we have a bunch of horrible, terrifying mutant wolves on _our_ side." Emmett grinned widely, baring his pearly whites, punching his fist into the palm of his hand. Soft laughter ran through everyone.

"As I was _saying_," Jasper sent a playful glare to Emmerr, who laughed. "We'll need to practice hard. So, we'll split up into groups. Emmett and Carlisle, Alice and Rosalie, Bella and I, Esme and Edward. The wolves can just sit around us and watch, but try and rotate between us, because there's going to be lots of difference in the fights and there are a lot of different techniques."

The wolves nodded, then hauled themselves to their feet and the Cullen's split off into their pairs. I decided to watch them all seperately, wanting to learn as much as I could and try to keep my mind off my longing for Jaxon because he needed to learn more than I did.

Emmett and Carlise's fight was kind of funny. Emmett would charge at him, snarling like an irritated grizzly bear, for Carlisle, but he would quickly dodge and leave Emmett to skid and send dirt flying everywhere. His huge hands were left grasping at nothing for air when he tried to grab at Carlisle's quick moving form. I felt bad for Carlisle; he wanted peace more than any of us, but he had to fight for his family.

Alice and Rosalie's fight was interesting. Alice was like a beautiful ballet dancer, spiraling and weaving, curling in on herself. Rosalie was like a ball of ferocious flame, diving and lunging, snarls ripping from her throat like a mother lioness protecting her cubs. That was kind of ironic to think about, since Rosalie was mother that could never have children. Not like Esme, because Esme was a mother that couldn't have children, but like a young woman who was completely ready and yearned for a baby with every fibre of her body for a baby, but who was barren. Hell, that was a perfect description of Rosalie!

Esme and Edward was strange. Edward, being the mind reader, was able to see her moves but she still managed to beat him every time. I didn't understand it. Esme didn't strike me as the able-to-beat-a-mind-reader-in-a-fight kind of lady, but more of a stay at home mom who's kids were bigger than that Augustus Gloop kid from _Willy Wonka_ because she spent almost all her time making the most delicious fatty foods for them. Now I want apple pie...

Bella and Jasper's fight was probably the most instructing of all. Bella still had a red-ish tinge to her golden eyes, meaning she was only just coming off being a newborn after having red eyes for a year, so she didn't know as much as the rest of the Cullens. Jasper was telling her to duck, dodge, turn, all of that stuff, even though most of it happened too fast for me to see and hear. Bella was really sweet and innocent, looking very uncomfertable at having to attack Jasper, but there was also a hard determination in her eyes. She knew she had to protect her family, her husband and her daughter.

By the time I had observed all the fights, watching for ten or fifteen minutes each, I was ready to fall asleep. Rachel was already asleep, her head on my shoulder, Paul's head still on her lap, not watching the fights but staring intently at her, able to watch and listen in his head with the weird wolf telepathy mind link thing. I rested my head on Rachel's and yawned widely.

Just as I slipped into sleep, I heard a soft, throaty wolf rumble that sent tingles through my body like I'd touched a live wire, but sweeter.

_Jaxon_...

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was at the Cullen's house and everything was deadly silent. Jaxon and Jacob were still here, but the rest of the pack were gone and all the Cullens were watching me. My eyes stung with what I realized in shock were tears and my chest was heaving, my heart thumping hard in my chest.<p>

"W-What...?" I whispered.

"You had another nightmare..." Jaxon murmured into my hair.

I swallowed hard, remembering. It was the same one, the one about the Volturi.

"Anything we need to know, sweetie?" Esme asked from her place tucked into Carlisle's side on the sofa. I blinked a few times and shook my head.

"N-No... It was the same one... W-With the... Yeah..."

The Cullen's sighed.

"Did you see a fight?" Rosalie asked softly.

"No. I only saw them entering the field... It was the same one you guys were practising in... and then it just went blank..."

Carlisle sighed and nodded. "Jaxon, take Aaliyah home. She needs proper rest in her own bed. Renesmee, stop eavesdropping."

I looked up in time to see a blur of bronze curls speeding from view and laughed weakly; the sound was strangled and off pitch. I looked up at Jaxon.

"Come on..." I took his hand and laced my fingers with his, feeling the usual zap of electricity as his unnatural warmth soothed my skin and soaked through me, sending waves of calm into my body. I pecked his lips after we stood, I hugged all the Cullens except Jasper, just shook his hand awkwardly as everyone laughed, then got back in the Rabbit and drove back home.


	14. Luke Michael Caelum

Chapter Fourteen

It had been a month since the first practice and the wolves and Cullens had been practicing every night at 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. which I thought was ridiculous. Rachel was the only one who agreed with me.

Speaking of Rachel, she snored lightly beside me. I looked over at her and smiled slightly. She had gotten tired of going to the practises and so had I, so we decided to get Rachel to stay over here while they practiced. At first, Paul had been reluctant, but he couldn't argue with Rachel. Having Rachel's raging hormones on my side really helped.

"What in the hell are you watching at six thiry a.m.?" Rachel hissed, ripping me from my thoughts. I jumped so violently that I slipped to the edge, and since my legs were tangled in the sheets, I toppled of the side of the bed onto the floor.

The room was silent for three seconds before we both errupted with laughter.

I cried for a solid minute, tears streaming down my face, as I sat up slowly, bracing myself against the cool door of my wardrobe. I took a few sobering breaths, then realized that I could hear small whimpers of pain. My eyes snapped open, and I could see Rachel's face contorted with agony, one hand gripping the bed sheets tightly, the other holding ther fabric of her night dress above her stomach. I gasped in realization and my jaw dropped when I saw that there was a pool of water soaking into my sheets between Rachel's legs.

I made her water break.

She was having her baby.

Right now.

I immediately leapt onto the bed and stuffed some pillows behind her head so she was more comfertable. I took her hand that was holding her nightdress in both of mine.

"It's okay, Rachel, just breathe, like in the birthing classes, just breathe." I ordered, trying to sound calm even though my heart was beating so fast and hard I thought my ribs were going to shatter. But I couldn't focus on me. Rachel needed me.

"P-P-Paul..." She gasped out through her gritted teeth, her jaw clenched and her eyes clamped shut.

I nodded, releasing one of my hands from hers and held in a wince when she used her ultra tight Black grip on me. I hadn't been kidding with Jaxon; we had tight grips. Refusing to think about the pain, I grabbed my phone and hurridly called Paul.

"Hey, Aaliyah, what's cracking?" Paul's deep, rumbling voice rolled through the phone.

"Hey, Jaxon, it's your little love bunny!" I heard Quill holler. There was a snarl, then a thump and some wrestling sounds. If I wasn't so stressed, I would have rolled my eyes.

"Paul, it's Rachel!" I cried as Rachel screamed loudly in pain.

I heard everything on the phone go silent and a loud ripping sound. The unmistakable tremor of gigantic running wolf paws reverbrated against the ground and I could visualize what had happened. Paul had phazed and was running here. Thank God.

"Aaliyah, it's Jacob," Jake's voice filled my ears. "Give me to Rachel."

"O-Okay..." I said in a trembling voice. I pressed the phone to Rachel's ear. I could hear Jake's voice faintly as he talked to Rachel, probably calming her better than I ever could. I just held her hand and let her squeeze it.

Paul ran in just as Rachel relaxed.

"Paul!" Rachel breathed just as Paul gasped her name.

"Paul, you get her hospital bag and then get her into the Rabbit, I'll go start it." I said as I explained to Jake for the guys to meet us at the hospital. I yanked on a pair of paint splattered tracksuit pants that were lying on the floor, since I figured it was better than strutting around in my underwear. I raced down the hall and snatched the Rabbit's keys of it's hook, then ran out into the heavy rain to the Rabbit. I tried to put the keys into the keyhole, but my hands were shaking so hard it took my three tries to get it in. I slid into the cab and turned on the engine, then turned the heater on full blast.

Paul jogged out of the house, wearing nothing but another pair of my tracksuit pants that had been laying on the ground and ran through the rain, his shoulder's hunched over, shielding a shaking Rachel from the ice cold drops of water. He slid into the backseat, slamming the door. He laid Rachel down on her back and put the seat belts around her, throwing the hospital bag on the passenger seat after pulling Rachel's favourite pillow from it. He rested it on his lap, then Rachel laid her head on the pillow. Paul held her hands with one of his huge ones, the other stroaking her hair soothingly, mumbling words of comfert, and how they were going to see their baby soon.

I took a deep breath, turned the gearshift, then reversed with a loud peal of the rubber tyres against the pavement before speeding off down the street towards the hospital.

* * *

><p>I sat outside Rachel's room, my head bowed, my hands together, fingers intertwined into a single fist and hanging between my legs. I flinched and tensed as Rachel's loud scream pierced my ears again. It had been going on for hours.<p>

"Aaliyah, come on..." Tingles ran through my body and I looked up, meeting Jaxon's troubled eyes. He was crouching infront of me, a hand out, palm up, towards me. "Lets go for a walk... You look more stressed than Paul."

I didn't smile at his joke, but nodded and stood up. Jaxon wrapped his arm securely around my waist as if I were going to pass out and led me down the hall to the elevator. I didn't enjoy the stomach dropping feeling that I always felt as the elevator started down.

"Where are we going...?" I whispered. My voice cracked and I licked my dry lips. They felt rough, like sandpaper.

Jaxon didn't answer. The elevator suddenly stopped, causing our bodies to jolt and my stomach to flip. I gripped onto the elevator railing out of habit, even though Jaxon's tight arm around my waist would never of allowed me to fall. A bing sounded through the enclosed space and the doors opened.

Jaxon lead me out of the elevator as a few people went in and took me into a cafateria. He sat me down at a table, then went over to the counter where they were selling food and drink. I looked down and saw that my hands were shaking; I clenched them into tight fists.

I don't know how long I stared at my fists, because it seemed like three seconds before warm hands gently took mine and long, russet fingers easily uncurled my fists.

"Why so tense?" Jaxon whispered.

"It's my fault... Rachel's in so much pain... and it's my fault..." I bit my lip, holding in the sobs that were stuck in my throat.

His sigh filled my ears. "Rachel was a week overdue, Aaliyah, she was bound to pop any day now. And you didn't mean it..." he tucked one of my long curls behind my ear.

"It's still my fault..." I mumbled, then looked up and giggled bubbled from my lips. "How much did you get?"

Jaxon had set a bag of chips and a coffee infront of me, but infront of himself was about five packets of chips, three bags of hot chips, four bags of potato gems, chicken wings, steak, lamb, lollies, a two litre bottle of coca-cola and so forth. I shook my head in disbelief.

Jaxon grinned, shrugging. "I'm a growing boy."

"I doubt you can grow much more." I looked up at him doubtfully.

Jaxon wrapped an arm around me. "You love it." He dug into his potato gems as I sipped my coffee.

I smiled.

_More than you know_... I answered in my mind, glad he wasn't a mindreader.

* * *

><p>Paul came out of the room, a huge grin on his face. I immediately shot around him into the room without waiting and I heard laughter behind me, but I didn't care. I needed to see Rachel and my niece or nephew.<p>

Rachel was laying on the bed, looking slightly pale and very exhausted as she cradled a tiny bundle, wrapped a in thick white blanket. I hurried to her side, and she smiled up at me, then shifted over slightly so I could lay beside her. I gasped softly as I saw the baby.

"Meet Luke Michael Caelum..." Rachel whispered, placing a soft kiss to her son's nose.

"Oh, my God... I'm an aunty... And I have a nephew..." I breathed, gobsmacked. Rachel giggled at my expression.

"Isn't he just beautiful?"

He was beautiful, without a doubt. His skin was dark russet brown, like his father's, and he had tiny sprouts of black hair on his head. His cheeks had tear marks and his eyelashes were thick and wet from the tears he had cried. His full lips were parted as he gazed around the room with the dark black eyes he had inherited from his mother, who got it from our father like all of us Black's had gotten it from one of our parents.

"He's perfect."

I looked up. I was going to say those words myself, but they had come from Paul's mouth. His lips were pulled up in an incredibly wide grin as he came over and sat on the chair on Rachel's other side.

"Want to hold your nephew, Aaliyah?" Rachel asked.

I nodded eagerly, then carefully took him from Rachel, cradling him carefully to my chest. I held him close as his black eyes curiously stared into mine. I traced his tiny, delicate features with my pinky finger. He gurgled softly and a tiny russet hand flashed out, grabbing my pinky in a surprisingly tight.

"Ow." I giggled and kissed his temple.

Luke giggled up at me.

"Good thing you're adorable. You must have inherited that from me." I grinned down at him as Rachel and Paul laughed tiredly.

And then, suddenly, a pang of jealousy hit me in the stomach. I wanted a baby. I wanted a husband. I wanted to be pregnant, I wanted my own proper family. I mean, I love my father and my siblings and my cousins, but I wanted what Rachel and Paul had with little Luke.

I stroaked his tiny cheek as his plump lips formed a perfect 'O' shape as he yawned.

_I'll have a baby someday_, I promised myself.


End file.
